^  PRINCETON,    N.J.  '^\ 


Purchased  by  the  Hammill   Missionary  Fund. 


BV  3280  .T4  D68  1893 
Downie,  David,  1838-1927 
The  lone  star 


/fL-y^fC^/MO 


2AjJLiU-x^  .^x.(«^ 


THE  LONE  STAR. 


THE 


History  of  the  Thlugu  Mission 


OF   THE 


AMERICAN  BAPTIST  MISSIONARY  UNION 


DAVID ''do WNIE,  D.  D., 

Missionary  at  Nellore. 


PHILADELPHIA  : 

AMERICAN  BAPTIST  PUBLICATION  SOCIETY, 

1420  Chestnut  Street. 


Entered,  according  lo  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1893,  by  the 

AMERICAN  BAPTIST  PUBLICATION  SOCIETY, 

In  the  Oflace  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  T. 

PAGB 

The  Country  and  People, 7 

CHAPTER  II. 
Origin  op  the  Mission, 26 

CHAPTER  III. 
Nellore  Occupied,       32 

CHAPTER  IV. 
"The  Lone  Star," 45 

CHAPTER  V. 
Faith  Rewarded, 60 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Branching  Out, 66 

CHAPTER  VII. 
Onoole, , 77 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Rich  Harvest  Fields, '86 


4  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

PAGE 

The  Great  Famine  of  1876-78 92 

CHAPTER  X. 
The  Great  Ingathering,       109 

CHAPTER  XL 
Results  of  the  Great  Revival, 120 

CHAPTER  XII. 
Ramapatam, 135 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
The  Deccan, 150 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
Ktjrnool,  Cumbum,  and  Madras, 164 

CHAPTER  XV. 
Enlarging  the  Boundaries, 186 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
The  Mission's  Jubilee, 203 

Memorial  Sketch, 213 


PREFACE. 


*'The  history  of  the  Telugu  Mission,"  says  Dr.  Bright,  of 
the  "Examiner,"  "is  interesting  even  to  romance.  That 
history  should  be  told  in  every  church  and  Sunday-school  as 
an  inspiration  to  greater  hope  and  patience  in  all  our  work. 
.  .  .  Would  not  the  prayerful  consideration  of  so  memorable 
and  blessed  a  history  of  missionary  triumphs,  as  is  furnished 
by  the  Telugu  Mission,  be  the  highest  possible  incentive  to 
renewed  consecration  and  a  further  development  of  the  grace 
of  giving?"  It  is  with  some  such  hope  as  this  that  the 
writer  has  undertaken  the  task  of  furnishing  a  fuller  history 
of  the  Mission  than  has  yet  been  written,  and  thus  afford  its 
friends  additional  facilities  for  "the  prayerful  consideration" 
of  God's  wonder-working  power  among  the  Telugus, 

It  was  only  after  repeated  efforts  had  be  n  made  to  induce 
another,  in  all  respects  better  qualified,  to  undertake  this 
work,  that  the  writer  consented  to  do  it.  The  only  advantage 
he  possesses  over  the  one  first  selected  is  a  long  residence 
among  the  people  and  an  active  participation  in  the  work  he 
seeks  to  describe. 

In  presenting  this  book  to   the   friends  of  missions,  the 

writer  claims  very  little  in  the  way  of  original  authorship. 

Like  most  books  of  its  kind,  it  partakes  largelv  of  the  nature 

5 


6  PKEFACE. 

of  a  compilation.  He  has  not  hesitated  to  take  from  any  and 
every  source  within  his  reach  facts  bearing  on  the  Mission's 
history.  Many  of  these  facts  were  gathered  from  conversa- 
tions with  native  Christians  who  were  school  children  in  Mr. 
Day's  time.  Some  have  been  told  before,  though  not  always 
correctly  ;  some  are  here  given  for  the  first  time. 

The  author  is  under  especial  obligation  to  Miss  M.  M.  Day, 
of  Madras,  for  the  reading  of  her  father's  private  letters ; 
also  to  Dr.  Clough  for  the  use  of  his  Missionary  Magazines 
from  1864  to  1873  ;  likewise  to  the  Missionary  Union's  Jubilee 
Volume  and  Magazine,  Dr.  McKenzie's  "Lone  Star,"  and  to 
several  of  the  missionaries  who  have  aided  him  in  various 
ways ;  for  all  of  which  aid  he  extends  his  warmest  thanks. 

Nellore,  India,  1892. 


LANGUAGE   MAP  OF   INDIA. 


REFERENCE    KEY. 
S«NT«l.,(»iTB  MALE".0II«VI0I«1.; 
S  HO  AND  HiL 


1^ 


THE  HISTORY  OF  THE  TELUGU  MISSION. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  COUNTRY  AND  PEOPLE. 

The  Aryan  invasion  of  India.  Previous  invasions.  Derivation  of  name — 
Telugu.  The  three  "  lingas."  The  country  and  its  location.  The  Mon- 
soons. Theclimate.  The  occupants  of  the  country,  English  rule  in  India. 
Blessings  derived  therefrom.  The  agriculture  of  the  country.  The  origin 
of  the  TeUigus.  The  castes  of  the  people.  Their  physical  characteristics. 
Their  language.  Not  Sanskrit.  The  population  of  the  country.  Number 
uncertain.  Not  migratory.  Telugus  in  Burma.  Burmese  civilization 
from  them.  The  religion  of  the  Telugus.  The  Vedas  and  Brahniaus  The 
laws  of  Manu.  The  numerous  gods.  Idol  worship.  Not  originally  a  part 
of  worship.  Now  universal.  Caste  adherence.  Numerous  trade  castes. 
Not  wholly  observed  by  all.  Pariahs  even  rising.  Leveling  by  railroads. 
Influence  of  mission  schools.    Caste  still  a  factor. 

WHEN  the  great  Aryan  race  first  invaded  India 
(b.  c.  1500),  it  settled  in  the  neighborhood  of 
the  river  Sindhu.  The  Persians  called  it  Hindhu  and  the 
Greeks  called  the  people  'lyf^oi.  Thus  we  get  the  words 
Hindu  and  Hindustan  which  were  originally  applied  only 
to  the  regions  of  the  Indus.  As  the  Aryans  spread  farther 
and  farther  south  and  east,  the  name  followed  them,  until 
now  Hindustan  is  applied  to  the  entire  peninsula  of  India. 
Previous  to  the  incursions  of  the  Aryans,  India  had 
been  invaded  by  several  mixed  races  from  Central  Asia, 
Tartary,  and  Tibet.  Some  of  them  were  Scythian  and 
some   Mongolian.      Among   them  were   what    are    now 

7 


8  HISTORY    OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

called  the  Dravidian  races  of  South  India.  The  terra 
Dravidas  was  first  applied  to  the  Tamils  only,  but  now 
includes  the  Tamils,  Telugus,  Canarese,  Malayalams, 
Gonds,  and  some  others. 

The  Telugus  were  originally  called  by  the  Aryan  con- 
querors, Andhras  ;  but  the  Andhras  were  divided  into  two 
nations,  one  of  which  was  called  the  Kalingas,  who 
occupied  the  seaboard,  while  the  Andhras  occupied  the 
interior  northwest  portion  of  the  Telugu  country.  Al- 
though the  Andhras  were  better  known  to  the  Aryans,  and 
were  probably  the  more  cultured  of  the  two  nations 
speaking  a  common  tongue,  yet  it  is  from  the  Kalingas 
that  the  modern  term  Telugu  comes.  From  Kaliuga  came 
Talinga  and  Tenugu — the  name  which  is  even  now  fre- 
quently used  by  pundits  for  Telugu. 

The  favorite  derivation  of  Telugu  pundits  for  Telugu 
is  Trilinga,  or  "country  of  the  three  lingas."  One  of  the 
earliest  of  Buddhistic  writers  frequently  designates  the 
Telugu  country  Trilinga,  and  describes  Kalinga  as  a  por- 
tion of  Trilinga.  Ptolemy  also  speaks  of  a  country  in 
India  as  T6  xat  TpiXcypr^  jSafnhcav,  "  The  kingdom  of  the 
three  lingas." 

These  three  celebrated  lingas  are  said  to  be  at  Kalahas- 
try  in  the  south,  Sreesalem  in  the  west,  and  Dracharamu 
in  the  north.  But  a  better  known  boundary  of  the 
Telugu  country  is  Pulicat,  about  twenty-five  miles  north 
of  Madras  in  the  south,  Chicacole  in  the  north,  and  Ud- 
ghiri  in  the  Nizam's  dominions  in  the  northwest. 

The  country  thus  described  contains  about  seventy-three 
thousand  seven  hundred  and  twenty-eight  square  miles, 
and  is  for  the  most  part  flat.     It  is,  however,  divided  by 


THE  COUNTRY    AND    PEOPLE.  9 

a  range  of  mountains  running  generally  north  and  south 
called  the  Eastern  Ghauts.  The  highest  peak  is  called 
Penchalaconda  and  rises  to  a  height  of  three  thousand  six 
hundred  feet,  and  next  to  it  is  Udayagiri  Droog,  which  is 
three  thousand  and  sixty-nine  feet.  The  difference  of  tem- 
perature between  the  plains  and  the  summits  of  these  hills 
is  about  ten  degrees.  The  portion  of  the  Telugu  country 
embraced  in  the  Nizam's  dominions,  while  also  level,  is  on 
a  higher  plain,  Secunderabad  being  two  thousand  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea,  while  Nellore  is  only  sixty  feet. 

The  Telugu  country  lies  between  latitude  fourteen  and 
eighteen  north,  and  hence  twice  in  the  year,  about  May 
10th  and  August  1st,  the  sun  is  vertical.  If  there  were 
no  counteracting  influences,  the  temperature  would  be 
pretty  nearly  equal  in  all  parts  of  the  Telugu  country ; 
but  the  trade  winds  called  monsoons  exert  such  an  in- 
fluence on  the  climate  that  it  is  difiicult  to  give  a  general 
statement.  Thus  while  May  and  June  are  the  hottest 
months  in  Nellore,  March  and  April  are  the  hottest  west 
of  the  Ghauts.  In  Secunderabad  the  thermometer  falls  to 
fifty-four  degrees  in  December,  while  in  Nellore  sixty-four 
degrees  mark  the  lowest  record,  and  that  very  early  in  the 
morning.  The  average  temperature  of  the  Nellore  District 
is  eighty-two  degrees,  and  this  is  probably  not  far  from  the 
average  of  the  whole  Telugu  country.  The  average 
maximum  temperature  is  about  ninety-five  degrees,  though 
in  some  sections  it  frequently  reaches  one  hundred  and  ten 
degrees  in  the  shade. 

There  are  two  monsoons  during  the  year,  i.  e.,  the  pre- 
vailing winds  blow  from  one  of  two  directions  throughout 
the  year.     The  southwest  monsoon  is  supposed  to  begin 


10  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

about  the  middle  of  February,  but  its  effects  are  not  very 
perceptible  until  early  in  June.  It  lasts  till  about  the 
middle  of  August,  when  the  northeast  monsoon  is  supposed 
to  set  in,  though  here  again  the  effects  are  not  felt  until  the 
middle  of  October.  These  monsoons  usually  set  in  with 
high  winds  followed  by  heavy  rains.  The  rains  are  not  a 
necessary  sequence  of  the  monsoon,  but  they  are  so  general 
that  when  they  do  not  come — as  is  sometimes  the  case — 
the  monsoon  is  said  to  have  failed.  The  rains  of  an  aver- 
age monsoon  last  about  six  weeks,  during  which  time 
nearly  the  entire  year's  supply  of  rain  falls.  But  some 
sections  of  the  Telugu  country  share  in  both  monsoons. 
The  average  rain-fall  of  the  Nellore  District  is  about 
thirty-five  inches.  In  Madras  it  is  forty-one  inches.  Thus 
it  will  be  seen  how  vitally  important  are  these  monsoon 
rains  to  a  country  so  dependent  as  India  is  ug^on  its  agri- 
culture. Another  effect  of  the  monsoons  is  their  influence 
on  the  climate.  With  the  sun  so  nearly  vertical  the  year 
round,  but  for  the  monsoons  the  climate  would  be 
simply  unbearable.  By  a  glance  at  the  map,  it  will  be 
seen  that  the  southwest  monsoon  coming  over  the  Indian 
Ocean  reaches  India  on  the  west  coast.  Laden  with 
moisture,  these  winds  strike  the  Western  Ghauts ;  the 
moisture  is  condensed  and  falls  in  torrents  of  rain.  The 
earth  thus  cooled  and  the  cool  ocean  breezes  give  to  the 
west  coast  a  climate  very  much  like  that  of  Burma — not 
exactly  cool,  but  certainly  cooler  than  that  of  the  east 
coast.  But  while  these  ocean  winds  cool  and  refresh  the 
West,  they  have  a  very  different  effect  upon  the  East.  Long 
before  they  reach  the  Bay  of  Bengal  a  vertical  sun  has 
converted  them  into  what  are  called  "land  or  hot  winds." 


THE   COUNTRY   AND    PEOPLE.  11 

It  is  all  but  impossible  to  convey  to  one  who  has  not  ex- 
perienced it  the  effect  of  these  hot  winds.  A  huge  prairie 
fire  within  a  mile  or  two  of  your  dwelling,  with  a  wind 
blowing  in  its  direction  at  the  rate  of  tliirty  or  forty  miles 
an  hour,  would  furnish  some  idea  of  the  effect.  Toward 
evening,  however,  a  counteraction  usually  takes  place.  The 
intense  heat  of  the  sun  during  the  day  so  rarifies  the 
atmosphere  that  the  cooler  air  of  the  ocean  rushes  in  and 
gives,  at  this  season,  what  is  called  the  east  breeze,  which 
lasts  a  few  hours  ;  but  as  the  earth  cools  down  the  prevail- 
ing west  wind  resumes  its  sway. 

About  the  middle  of  October,  the  northeast  monsoon 
sets  in,  but  the  relative  effects  on  the  east  and  west  coasts 
are  not  exactly  reversed ;  for  by  this  time  the  sun  has 
traveled  several  degrees  south,  so  that  while  the  west  coast 
has  a  "  land  wind  "  it  cannot  have  the  "  hot  "  winds  ex- 
perienced on  the  east.  The  only  compensation  for  this  is 
that  the  "  hot  winds  "  while  very  trying  are  not  generally 
regarded  as  unhealthful.  Following  the  rains  of  the  north- 
east monsoon  there  is  a  brief  season  of  ten  or  twelve  weeks 
of  delightful  weather. 

Previous  to  the  Aryan  invasions,  the  Telugu  country,  or 
Telingana  as  it  was  then  called,  was  governed  by  its  own 
kings ;  but  while  there  is  no  evidence  that  they  were  ever 
conquered  by  the  Aryans,  the  latter  seem  gradually  to 
have  assumed  control  of  the  country.  The  Aryans  were 
in  turn  displaced  by  the  Mohammedan  and  Mogul  conquer- 
ors. Since  the  occupation  of  the  English,  in  the  early  half 
of  the  eighteenth  century,  the  greater  part  of  the  Telugu 
country  has  been  under  direct  British  rule.  The  north- 
west portion,  however,  is  under  the  government  of  the 


12  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

Nizam  of  Hyderabad.  This  native  prince  is  to  some  ex- 
tent independent,  but  he  is  aided  in  his  government  by  a 
British  resident  who  guards  the  interests  of  the  British 
Government.  A  large  British  force  is  maintained  at 
Secunderabad,  supported  at  the  expense  of  the  Nizam. 
The  force  serves  the  double  purpose  of  protecting  British 
India  from  the  Nizam,  and  the  Nizam  from  a  foreign  in- 
vasion. 

Much  has  been  said  against  British  rule  in  India  by 
transient  visitors,  and  even  by  those  who  have  never  seen 
it  or  carefully  studied  its  history.  "  Spoliation  of  India," 
"  Bleeding  to  death,"  etc.,  are  among  the  favorite  epithets 
employed  by  such  critics.  But  nothing  could  be  more 
unjust  or  farther  from  the  truth.  For  many  centuries 
before  the  British  came,  India  was  the  scene  of  invasion 
after  invasion,  war  upon  war,  conquest  upon  conquest. 
Scarcely  a  year  passed  in  which  thousands  were  not  slain. 
The  Aryans,  with  all  their  boasted  civilization,  made  war- 
fare and  bloodshed  a  part  of  their  religion.  In  the  Rig- 
Veda,  Indra  was  invited  to  "quaff  the  soma-juice  abund- 
antly," and  urged  to  destroy  its  enemies.  "Hurl  thy 
hottest  thunderbolt  upon  them !  Uproot  them !  Cleave 
them  asunder !  "  The  Mahabharata,  the  great  epic  poem 
of  the  Hindus,  is  simply  a  history  of  successive  wars  ending 
in  the  almost  total  destruction  of  the  contending  parties. 
Nor  w^ere  the  Mohammedan  invasions  less  destructive  or 
cruel.  During  seven  hundred  years,  the  warring  races  of 
Central  Asia  and  Afghanistan  kept  up  perpetual  warfare, 
pillage,  and  cruel  massacre.  In  twenty-three  years  during 
the  last  century,  no  less  tlian  six  invasions  of  India  took 
place.     The  first  was  by  the  Persians   who,  in   a   single 


TflE   COUNTRY   AND    PEOPLE.  13 

forenoon,  are  said  to  have  hacked  to  pieces  thirty  thous- 
and men,  women,  and  children  in  the  streets  of  Delhi. 
Then  followed  five  successive  invasions  of  Afghans,  no  less 
horrible.  They  sacked  and  destroyed  the  temples  and 
murdered  the  priests  ;  they  burned  whole  cities  with  their 
inhabitants,  slaying  with  sword  and  lance  those  who 
attempted  to  escape. 

Whatever  else  may  be  said  of  British  rule  in  India,  it 
has  at  least  put  a  stop  to  these  bloody  invasions,  and  has 
given  the  country  peace.  The  annual  cost  to  the  inhabit- 
ants of  India  for  maintaining  the  army  which  secured  and 
perpetuates  this  peace  is  about  one  rupee  (about  fifty 
cents)  per  head.  But  the  value  of  the  produce  even  from 
a  single  province  reclaimed  from  devastating  hordes  of  in- 
vaders more  than  covers  the  cost  of  the  entire  Indian 
army. 

But  peace  is  only  one  of  the  many  blessings  Eng- 
land has  secured  to  India.  Crime  has  been  repressed ; 
thugism  has  been  rooted  out ;  the  cruel  rites  of  suttee 
(widow  burning)  have  been  abolished  ;  human  sacrifices  to 
Hindu  demons  have  been  prohibited  ;  law  and  order  have 
been  established ;  the  health  of  the  people  has  been  pro- 
moted ;  famines  have  been  mitigated,  and  the  resources  of 
the  country  developed  ;  education  has  been  extended  ;  the 
liberty  of  the  press  has  been  conceded  ;  and  absolute  free- 
dom of  worship  and  propagation  of  religion  granted  with- 
out regard  to  creed  or  nationality.  Under  such  a  govern- 
ment, it  is  safe  to  say,  the  country  never  was  better 
ruled  and  the  people  never  were  more  prosperous,  con- 
tented, or  happy. 

As  in  nearly  all  other  parts  of  India,  agriculture  is  the 


14  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

chief  industry  of  the  Telugu  country.  In  the  low  lands 
along  the  coast,  and  especially  on  the  river  deltas,  rice  is 
the  chief  product.  For  rice  cultivation  large  supplies  of 
water  are  a  necessity.  During  long  dry  seasons,  the 
fields  become  baked,  so  that  they  must  be  submerged  before 
they  can  be  plowed.  The  seed  is  sown  upon  the  water, 
and  during  the  entire  growth,  the  fields  have  to  be  almost 
daily  flooded.  This  could  not  he  done  by  depending  upon 
the  periodic  rains.  Hence,  artifical  means  have  to  be  em- 
ployed for  storing  up  the  vast  quantity  of  water  that  falls 
during  the  rainy  seasons.  For  this  purpose  extensive 
irrigation  works  are  to  be  found  all  over  India.  To  give 
some  idea  of  these  works,  those  in  the  vicinty  of  Nellore 
may  be  described.  First,  there  is  the  great  Nellore  tank 
or  lake,  partly  natural  and  partly  artificial.  It  is  nearly 
round,  is  about  six  miles  in  diameter,  and  when  full  has 
about  three  feet  of  water.  Part  of  the  water  comes  from 
the  rains  and  part  from  the  river  Pennar.  On  this  tank 
four  thousand  acrss  of  land  are  dependent  for  their 
supply  of  water.  Across  the  Pennar,  close  to  the  town,  is 
an  anient  which  serves  the  double  purpose  of  a  bridge 
and  a  dam  for  diverting  the  water  into  irrigating  channels. 
By  this^means  about  three  thousand  acres  of  land  are  fur- 
nished with  water  during  most  of  the  year.  Twenty  miles 
farther  up  the  river,  a  second  anient  has  lately  been  con- 
structed. It  cost  three  million  seven  hundred  thousand 
rupees,  or  say  one  million  five  hundred  thousand  dollars. 
It  has  thrown  into  cultivation  forty-five  thousand  acres  of 
waste  land  and  forty-five  thousand  acres  heretofore  only 
partially  cultivated  for  lack  of  water.  The  annual  tax 
for  the  use  of  this  water  is  about  two  dollars  to  two  dollars 


TTIi:    COUNTiiY    AND   PEOPLE.  15 

and  twenty-five  cents  per  acre.  It  is  easy  to  see  what  an 
immense  .e^ain  to  the  productiveness  of  the  country  these 
irrigation  works  are.  They  cost  the  country  nothing  ex- 
cept the  tax  for  the  use  of  water.  Government  borrows 
the  money  and  repays  it  from  the  revenue  derived  from 
the  lands  which  the  works  benefit.  Rice,  however,  is  by  no 
means  the  only  or  even  the  chief  product  of  the  whole 
Telugu  country.  The  proportion  of  irrigated  land  in  the 
Madras  Presidency  is  only  twenty-three  per  cent.,  hence 
more  than  seventy-five  per  cent,  is  under  what  is  called . 
"dry  cultivation,"  that  is,  lands  which  are  cultivated  mth 
the  ordinary  rains.  On  these  lands  wheat,  raghi,  jonna, 
and  other  food  grains,  oil-seeds,  cotton,  and  tobacco  are 
among  the  chief  products.  In  some  sections,  dry  crops  are 
the  rule,  wet  cultivation  being  the  exception. 

The  Telugus  are  of  Scythian  origin.  This  has  some- 
times been  disputed  on  philological  grounds,  but  is  now 
pretty  generally  admitted.  When  these  Scythian  colonists 
entered  India  is  not  known.  The  most  that  can  be  said 
is,  that  previous  to  the  first  Aryan  invasions  the  Scythians 
were  in  possession  of  the  land ;  b.  c.  2000  is  probably  the 
latest  date  that  can  be  given.  As  the  Aryans  spread  over 
Southern  India,  being  a  more  powerful  and  more  civi- 
lized race,  they  gradually  combined  the  two  races  into 
what  is  called  the  Hindu  people.  The  Aryan  Brahmans 
and  Kshetryas  retained  the  first  and  second  places  or 
castes ;  the  better  portion  of  the  Scythians  were  admitted 
into  the  third  or  Vysia  caste ;  but  the  majority  were  left 
in  the  fourth  or  Sudra  caste.  Hence  the  latter  claim  to 
be  the  only  true  Telugus.  Whether  the  Pariahs  or  out- 
caste  class  came  in  with  the  Scythians,  or  at  an   earlier 


16  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

period,  or  whether  they  may  be  called  the  aborigines  of  the 
country,  it  is  quite  impossible  to  say.  Physically  they 
differ  in  no  respect  from  other  Telugus,  except  that  usually 
they  are  darker-skinned. 

How  far  these  five  classes  whom  we  call  Telugus,  because 
living  in  the  Telugu  country  and  speaking  the  Telugu 
tongue,  have  amalgamated,  would  be  a  very  difiicult  prob- 
lem. The  laws  of  the  Brahmans  forbid  the  marriage  of 
one  caste  with  another,  butunfortunately  this  by  no  means 
decides  the  question. 

Physically  the  Telugus  compare  favorably  with  the 
other  races  of  South  India.  The  Reddis,  or  farming  class 
of  the  Sudras,  are  a  particularly  fine-looking  set  of  men. 
They  are  tall,  erect,  and  well  proportioned.  Generally  the 
Telugus  are  of  average  height,  but  the  lower  limbs  are 
much  more  slender  than  those  of  the  average  European. 
Telugu  women  are  rather  below  the  average  height,  and 
much  more  slender  than  Europeans ;  but  they  are  equal, 
and  in  some  respects,  superior  to  their  southern  sisters,  the 
Tamils.  They  are  modest  in  their  manners,  and  their 
dress  is  particularly  graceful  and  becoming. 

The  Telugu  language  ranks  at  least  second  in  what  are 
known  as  the  Dravidian  languages  of  South  India.  Tamil 
being  probably  more  ancient,  as  it  certainly  is  more  copious 
and  more  independent  of  foreign  words,  has  generally  been 
assigned  the  first  place.  In  euphony  and  melodious 
sweetness,  however,  Telugu  deservedly  holds  the  first  rank, 
not  only  of  Dravidian,  but  of  all  other  languages  of  India. 
From  this  latter  quality  it  has  been  likened  to  the  Italian, 
and  has  in  fact  been  called  the  "  Italian  of  the  East."  As 
might  be  expected  from  the  dominating  influence  of  the 


THE   COUNTRY   AND   PEOPLE.  17 

Aryans,  the  Telugii,  in  common  with  the  Tamil  and  other 
Dravidian  languages,  has  incorporated  a  large  number  of 
Sanskrit  terms.  Of  the  higher,  or  literary  Telugu,  fully 
one-third  of  the  vocabulary  is  Sanskrit.  The  proportion 
is  less,  however,  in  the  language  of  the  common  people.  It 
is  chiefly  because  of  this  large  Sanskrit  element  in  the 
Dravidian  languages  that  some  have  claimed  for  them  an 
Aryan  origin.  But  Dr.  Caldwell,  admittedly  the  fore- 
most scholar  in  the  Dravidian  languages,  in  his  compara- 
tive grammar  says  on  this  point  :  "  The  supposition  of  the 
derivation  of  the  Dravidian  languages  from  Sanskrit 
though  entertained  in  the  past  generation  by  a  Colebrook, 
a  Carey,  and  a  Wilkins,  is  now  known  to  be  entirely  des- 
titute of  foundation.  Those  Orientalists,  though  deeply 
learned  in  Sanskrit  and  well  acquainted  with  the  idioms  of 
Northern  India,  were  unacquainted,  or  but  little  acquainted 
with  the  Dravidian  languages.  No  person  who  has  any  ac- 
quaintance with  the  principles  of  comparative  philology, 
and  who  has  carefully  studied  the  grammars  and  vocabu- 
laries of  the  Dravidian  languages,  and  compared  them  with 
those  of  Sanskrit,  can  suppose  the  grammatical  structure 
and  inflexional  forms  of  those  languages  and  the  greater 
number  of  their  more  important  roots,  capable  of  being 
derived  from  Sanskrit  by  any  process  of  development  or 
corruption  whatever."  Much  more  might  be  said  and 
many  more  arguments  adduced  to  prove  that  the  Dravid- 
ian languages  are  Scythian  in  their  origin.  But  this  has 
been  done  so  thoroughly  and  successfully  by  Dr.  Caldwell 
that  we  may  safely  accept  his  conclusion  that  Telugu  is 
of  Scythian  origin — or  at  all  events,  that  it  is  not  Sanskrit. 
But  whatever  its  origin  may  be,  Telugu  has  certainly  as- 

B 


18  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

sumed  a  Sanskrit  dress.  There  is  scarcely  a  book  of  any 
note  that  was  not  originally  written  in  Sanskrit  and  trans- 
lated into  Telugu.  Telugu  pundits  delight  in  imitating 
the  Sanskrit,  and  are  reluctant  to  admit  that  it  is  not  an 
offshoot  of  Sanskrit. 

The  Telugus  are  the  most  numerous  of  the  Dravidian 
races.  Their  number,  however,  has  been  greatly  exagger- 
ated by  some,  and  unduly  lessened  by  others.  This  may 
be  accounted  for  in  two  ways:  (1)  By  a  loose  use  of  the 
word  Telugus.  If  we  were  to  include  all  who  live  in  the 
Telugu  country,  as  some  have  done,  the  number  might 
be  put  at  eighteen  or  twenty  millions.  But  this  would  in- 
clude for  example  a  large  number  of  Mohammedans,  who 
are  almost  as  distinct  in  race  and  religion  as  Hindus  and 
Americans.  (2)  It  has  been  almost  impossible  to  get  at 
the  exact  or  even  approximate  number  of  Telugus  in  the 
Nizam's  dominions  owing  to  a  very  defective  system  of 
taking  the  census  of  that  country.  At  best  it  has  been  a 
guess,  and  accordingly  the  estimated  number  of  Telugus 
has  ranged  between  fourteen  and  twenty  millions.  Ac- 
cording to  the  census  of  1891,  the  number  of  Telugus  in 
the  Madras  Presidency — that  is,  the  number  who  gave 
Telugu  as  their  mother  tongue,  was — 

Telugu  country,  Madras  Presidency.  .  .  .  11,754,946 

The  Nizam's  Dominions 4,279,108 

Mysore 637,230 

Scattering  in  Burma  and  elsewhere.  .  .  .  332,074 

Total.  .  .  .  17,003,358 
The  Telugus  are  not  now  and  never  have  been  a  migra- 


THE  COUNTRi'  AND  PEOPLE.         19 

tory  people,  and  hence  it  is  not  quite  correct  to  say  as  has 
been  said  that  "  they  are  to  be  met  with  in  all  parts  of 
Hindastan,"  if  by  that  is  meant  more  than  is  implied  by  the 
remark  that  "  Americans  are  to  be  found  in  all  parts  of 
the  world."  It  is  true  that  in  Madras  there  are  nearly 
one  hundred  thousand  Telugus ;  but  though  Madras  is  a 
Tamil  city,  it  is  but  twenty-five  miles  from  the  Telugu 
country,  and  is  the  capital  of  the  presidency,  and  natu- 
rally draws  Telugus  for  the  purpose  of  trade,  for  which 
they  have  a  natural  liking  and  fitness.  A  very  large  per- 
centage of  the  native  tradesmen  of  Madras  are  Telugus. 

Besides  JNIadras  and  Mysore,  the  only  settlements  that 
resemble  a  Telugu  colony  are  those  found  in  British  Burma, 
chiefly  in  Rangoon  and  Moulmein.  Dr.  Stevens,  of  Ran- 
goon, says:  "  In  the  ancient  times  when  the  Telugus  were 
subject  to  their  owu  rajahs  or  kings,  the  more  enterprising  of 
them  appear  to  have  ventured  across  the  Bay  of  Bengal 
and  established  trading  stations  on  the  coast  of  Pegu  and  the 
Tenasserlm  province.  They  must  have  exerted  a  civiliz- 
ing influence  over  the  barbarians  with  whom  they  traded, 
for  from  the  Telugus  the  ancestors  of  the  Peguans  ob- 
tained their  written  characters.  To  the  most  casual  observer 
the  general  similarity  in  the  shape  of  the  letters  and  the 
vowel  sounds  of  the  two  languages  is  quite  striking.  Com- 
binations of  circles  and  parts  of  circles  are  characteristic  of 
both.  Indeed,  it  seems  probable  that  the  term  Talcing,  by 
which  the  Burmese  designate  the  Peguau,  is  derived  from 
Telinga.  The  progenitors  of  the  Burmese  nation  moving 
down  the  Irawadi  valley  toward  the  sea,  discovered  a 
people  more  civilized  than  themselves  possessing  books. 
To  the  mixed  population  of  Peguans  and  black  foreigners 


20  HISTOEY   OF   THE  TELUGU   MISSION. 

of  tlie  Telugu  kingdom  they  appear  to  have  given  one 
common  designation  of  Telinga  or  Taleing.  From  the 
Taleings  the  Burmese  derived  their  alphabet,  and  with 
some  modifications,  their  system  of  spelling.  It  will  be 
seen  then  that  the  Burmese  owe  to  the  Telugus  the  first 
impulse  which  brought  them  up  from  a  state  of  barbarism 
to  the  position  which  they  now  occupy  among  the  half- 
civilized  nations  of  the  earth.  The  books  which  the 
different  tribes  in  Burma  are  reading  to-day,  whether 
written  with  a  stylus  upon  palm-leaf  in  some  Buddhist 
monastery,  or  printed  upon  foreign  paper  on  the  mission 
press,  may  all  be  traced  back  more  or  less  directly  to 
ancient  Telingana." 

The  religion  of  the  Telugus  is  Hinduism,  a  corrupt  form 
of  Vedism.  Vedism  was  the  earliest  form  of  religion  of 
the  great  Indo- Aryan  family.  Their  scriptures  or  sacred 
writings  were  contained  in  the  Vedas,  written  as  they 
claimed  by  inspired  men  called  Rishis.  The  Vedas  are  a 
collection  of  songs,  invocations,  and  prayers.  These  were 
addressed  to  natural  objects,  such  as  the  wind,  the  sun,  fire, 
and  rain,  as  divine  objects,  but  sometimes  all  were  united 
into  the  one  word  God. 

Brahmanism  followed  Vedism.  It  united  all  the  forces 
of  nature  into  a  personal  being  called  Brahma.  Brahma 
was  the  only  self-existent  being ;  all  else  were  but  mani- 
festations of  the  one  great  Spirit.  The  Brahmans  added 
to  the  Vedas  a  sacrificial  system  of  worship,  and  embodied 
it  in  a  series  of  sacred  writings  called  the  Puranas,  which 
were  a  ritual  to  guide  the  priests  in  their  services,  and  also 
the  history  of  their  wars. 

One  of  the  most  important  developments  of  Brahman- 


THE  cou:ntjry  and  people.  21 

ism  was  the  belief  in  a  future  state,  and  that  rewards  and 
punishments  in  the  next  world  awaited  all  men  according 
to  their  conduct  in  this.  But  perhaps  the  most  remark- 
able idea  in  the  whole  system  was  that  the  gods  were  only 
mortals  till  by  sacrifices  and  austerities  they  merited  and 
obtained  immortality  from  the  Supreme  Being.  Men 
seeking  merit  and  immortality  followed  the  same  course. 
The  more  valuable  the  sacrifice  the  greater  the  merit ; 
hence  human  sacrifices  became  a  part  of  the  system. 

The  next  addition  to  the  sacred  writings  was  the  "  Laws 
of  Manu."  We  say  sacred  not  because  they  relate  ex- 
clusively to  religion.  Almost  all  distinctively  Hindu 
books  are  sacred,  though  they  treat  of  subjects  purely 
secular.  Thus  the  Mahabharata,  which  is  sometimes  called 
the  Fifth  Veda,  is  held  to  be  most  sacred,  though  it  is 
simply  a  poetical  history  of  the  wars  of  the  Kurus  and 
Pandas — two  races  of  rival  kings.  The  laws  of  Manu 
elaborated  and  codified  the  laws  of  caste.  They  profess 
to  be  a  commentary  on  the  Vedas,  but  they  are  more  than 
that.  There  is  no  caste  in  the  Vedas,  and  the  merest  intima- 
tion of  it  in  the  Puranas ;  but  in  the  laws  of  Manu  it  is 
fully  developed.  Hinduism  grew  out  of  Brahmanism.  It 
was  as  Monier  Williams  says,  "  Brahmanism  gone  to  seed 
and  spread  out  into  a  confused  tangle  of  divine  person- 
alities and  incarnations."  Besides,  Brahma  the  creator, 
Vishnu  the  preserver,  and  Siva  the  destroyer,  the  later 
Puranas  enumerate  no  less  than  three  hundred  and  thirty 
millions  of  Hindu  divinities.  Though  they  are  not  re- 
garded as  equal  to  Brahma,  Vishnu,  and  Siva,  yet  they  are 
all  worshiped  as  gods,  so  that  the  gods  of  the  Hindus 
are  more  numerous  than  the  Hindus  themselves. 


22  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

Idol  worship  was  not  at  first  a  part  of  the  Hindu  sys- 
tem, and  even  now  the  educated  Hindu  says  he  does  not 
worship  the  idol,  but  simply  uses  it  as  the  medium  through 
which  he  approaches  the  one  living  and  true  God.  Some 
go  even  farther  and  say  that  the  idol  is  nothing,  and  never 
was  intended  for  them,  but  for  the  ignorant  who  could 
have  no  idea  of  God  unless  he  were  visible.  But  let 
any  one  go  to  a  Hindu  temple  at  the  time  of  worship,  and 
especially  at  a  festival,  and  whom  does  he  see,  the  ignor- 
ant, that  is,  the  low  and  uneducated  only  ?  Nay,  verily  ! 
high  and  low,  rich  and  poor,  educated  and  uneducated 
are  there  to  worship  their  particular  divinity  Perhaps, 
in  a  few  cases,  God  may  be  the  object  of  worship,  but  in 
the  vast  majority  of  cases  they  are  there  to  worship  sim- 
ply the  idol,  with  no  thought  of  a  higher  god.  India  is 
full  of  idols.  Every  village,  however  insignificant,  has 
its  temple,  and  in  cities  they  can  be  counted  by  hundreds. 
Besides  the  public  temples  every  house  has  its  shrine  and 
household  gods. 

The  Telugus  in  common  with  all  other  Hindus  tena- 
ciously adhere  to  caste.  If  Hindu  caste  were  simply  a 
social  institution,  little  could  be  said  against  it.  Such  a 
caste  is  common  to  all  countries,  even  to  democratic 
America.  But  Hindu  caste  is  altogether  a  different  in- 
stitution from  the  social  class  distinctions  of  other  coun- 
tries. It  is  to-day,  and  has  been  for  more  than  two 
thousand  years,  essentially  a  religious  institution.  Its  fun- 
damental idea  is  that  God  created  distinct  classes  of  men, 
and  that  it  is  utterly  impossible  to  change  this  divine 
order.  A  Brahman  is  born  a  Brahman,  and  be  he  never 
so  base  he  can  by  no  possibility  cease  to  be  a  Brahman  so 


THE  COUNTRY  AND  PEOPLE.         23 

long  as  he  observes  the  laws  of  his  caste.  In  like  manner 
a  Sudra,  be  he  never  so  learned,  virtuous,  and  benevolent, 
can  by  no  possibility  ever  rise  to  a  higher  caste.  He 
was  born  or  created  by  God  a  servant,  and  a  servant  he 
must  forever  remain. 

At  first  there  were  but  four  castes :  (1)  the  Brahmans 
or  priests ;  (2)  the  Kshetryas  or  warriors ;  (3)  the  Vy- 
sias  or  farmers  and  tradei^;  (4)  The  Sudras  or  ser- 
vants. But  besides  these  there  have  grown  up  from  time 
to  time  innumerable  castes,  sometimes  called  trade  castes, 
according  to  the  various  occupations  which  have  come  into 
existence  as  the  demand  for  them  came  into  being. 
Every  trade  and  branch  of  industry  has  its  particular 
caste,  and  no  member  of  them  ever  dreams  of  following 
any  other  calling  than  that  in  which  he  w^as  born. 

That  is  the  theory  or  law  of  caste,  but  the  practice  is 
somewhat  different.  Only  the  Brahmans  and,  to  some 
extent,  the  Kshetryas  have  maintained  their  purity  of 
caste.  The  Sudras  of  to-day  occupy  a  very  different  po- 
sition from  that  assigned  them  by  the  law^s  of  Manu. 
They  are  no  longer  the  menial  servants  of  the  Brahmans. 
They  are  now  to  a  large  extent  the  owners  of  the  soil.  The 
Reddis,  who  are  a  sub-class  of  the  Sudras,  are  recognized 
as  high  caste,  and  are  in  fact  the  backbone  of  the  coun- 
try, being  its  chief  cultivators.  As  a  class  they  are 
still  illiterate,  though  slowly  but  surely  they  are  rising  in 
the  intellectual  and  social  scale. 

Even  the  Pariahs  or  out-castes  occupy  a  very  different 
position  to-day  from  that  which  they  held  a  century  or 
less  ago.  Manu  said  respecting  them  :  "  Their  abode 
must  be  out  of  town  ;  their  clothes  must  be  the  mantles 


24  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

of  the  dead  ;  let  no  man  hold  any  intercourse  with  them." 
Western  civilization  has  done  much  to  change  all  this. 
Formerly  when  a  caste-man  met  a  Pariah  on  the  public 
road  the  latter  was  obliged  to  jump  into  the  hedge  or 
ditch  to  allow  the  high-caste  man  to  pass  uncontaminated. 
But  when  railways  were  introduced,  rather  than  pay 
second  or  first-class  fare,  the  caste-man  took  his  place  in  a 
third-class  carriage  with  his  Pariah  brother.  Formerly 
no  caste-man  would  receive  from  a  Pariah's  hands  a  letter 
or  a  parcel,  but  it  had  to  be  placed  on  the  floor  at  some 
distance.  Now  caste  and  non-caste  men  mingle  more  or 
less  freely  in  government  offices. 

When  mission  schools  were  opened  to  caste  Hindus,  as 
well  as  Christians  and  Pariahs,  the  Brahmans  scorned  the 
idea  of  sitting  on  the  same  bench  with  a  Pariah  or  Chris- 
tian. But  as  the  success  of  mission  schools  did  not  de- 
pend on  Brahmans,  they  could  afford  to  dispense  with 
their  presence.  But  not  so  easily  could  the  Brahmans 
dispense  with  an  education.  Now  all  classes  alike  sit  side 
by  side  without  remonstrance. 

But  notwithstanding  all  these  innovati(ms,  caste  is  still 
a  most  powerful  factor  in  the  Hindu  system,  and  is  of  all 
others  the  most  formidable  obstacle  to  the  spread  of  civi- 
lization and  Christianity  in  India.  To  break  caste  is  the 
very  last  thing  a  Hindu  is  willing  to  do  ;  it  is  the  climax 
of  all  self-denial.  Rather  than  take  food  or  water  from 
the  hands  of  a  low-caste  man  or  Christian,  many  Hindus 
would  prefer  to  die.  No  stronger  proof  can  be  given  of 
a  man's  conversion  than  his  willingness  to  break  his  caste. 
Even  after  his  conversion  the  probabilities  are  that  his 
innate  caste  prejudices  will  keep  cropping  out.     We  sel- 


THE  COUNTRY  AND  PEOPLE.         25 

dom,  if  ever,  find  a  Christian  from  the  Mala  class  select- 
ing for  a  wife  a  girl  from  the  Madigas,  although,  strictly 
speaking,  both  of  these  classes  belong  to  the  out-castes. 

There  are  not  wanting  many  and  striking  indications 
that  caste  is  losing  its  hold  upon  the  people,  but  its  com- 
plete destruction  will  not  be  seen  in  this  generation  or 
the  next.  It  will  be  a  slow  process,  but  it  must  come, 
and  when  it  does,  Hinduism  will  be  no  more. 


CHAPTER  II. 

ORIGIN   OF   THE   MISSION. 

Mr.  Day's  and  Mr.  Abbott's  work  contrasted.  Mission  of  the  London  Mis- 
sionary Society  among  the  Telugus.  Preparation  of  the  Scriptures.  The 
mission  at  Vizagapatam.  Coming  of  Mr.  Day.  Establishment  of  a  mission 
at  Chicacole.  Removal  to  Madras.  Formation  of  an  English  Baptist 
church.  Mr.  Day's  removal  to  Nellore.  Difficulties  of  the  transfer.  Route 
finally  chosen.    Completion  of  canal  and  railroad  facilities. 

IT  was  a  strange  providence  that  gave  to  the  Rev.  Sam- 
uel S.  Day  the  undivided  honor  of  being  the  founder 
of  the  Telugu  Mission.  With  him  had  been  associated 
the  Rev.  E.  L.  Abbott.  Both  were  appointed  by  the 
Baptist  Board  as  missionaries  to  the  Telugus,  September, 
20,  1835.  Together  they  sailed  from  Boston  in  the  ship 
"  Louvre,"  September  22, 1835,  and  arrived  in  Calcutta, 
February  5,  1836.  The  R^v.  Howard  Malcom  accom- 
panied them  as  a  deputation  from  the  Baptists  of  Amer- 
ica to  visit  our  Asiatic  Missions.  When  they  reached 
Calcutta  it  was  decided  that  Mr  Abbott  should  not  go 
to  the  Telugus,  but  to  the  Karens  of  Burma  instead. 

Very  different  was  the  reception  these  two  servants  of 
Christ  were  to  meet  in  their  respective  fields.  Abbott 
went  to  a  field  already  prepared  to  receive  "  the  white 
book  "  and  "  the  white  teacher."  The  people  were  in  a 
state  of  expectancy.  When  they  heard  of  the  white 
man's  arrival  many  of  them  went  long  distances  to  find 
him  and  see  the  white  book. 

Not  so  did  the  Telugus  wait  for  Mr.  Day.     The  mis- 
'2G 


History  of  the  Telugu  Mission. 

REV.  SAMUEL 


Page  26. 


DAY. 


ORIGIN  OF   THE   MISSION.  27 

sionary  had  to  make  long  journeys  through  an  enemy's 
country  to  find  those  who  were  even  willing  to  hear  the 
good  news  he  had  brought  to  them. 

The  London  Missionary  Society  was  the  first  to  estab- 
lish a  Protestant  mission  among  the  Telugus.  As  this 
has  frequently  been  described  as  "  a  feeble  effort,  which 
was  attended  with  little  or  no  success,  and  was  eventually 
relinquished,"  a  brief  account  of  it  may  be  interesting. 
The  labors  of  our  o^vn  missionaries  mil  be  better  under- 
stood, and  possibly  better  appreciated,  when  we  know 
what  had  been  done  and  some  of  the  difficulties  that  had 
been  encountered  and  overcome  by  those  who  preceded 
them. 

The  mission  was  commenced  in  1805  by  two  missiona- 
ries who  had  been  sent  out  to  the  Tamils  of  Tranquebar ; 
but  after  a  few  months  it  was  deemed  expedient  for  them 
to  undertake  mission  work  in  some  part  of  India  where 
Christ  had  not  been  named.  Their  attention  was  directed 
to  the  Telugus  by  a  gentleman  in  the  government  service, 
who  thus  wrote  of  one  of  the  difficulties  they  would  have 
to  meet :  "  I  am  sorry  it  is  not  in  my  power  at  present  to 
furnish  you  with  any  elementary  books  to  facilitate  your 
acquisition  of  this  fine  dialect.  There  is,  however,  a  manu- 
script rudimental  grammar  to  be  procured,  which  may  be 
of  use." 

Notwithstanding  the  great  scarcity  of  books,  the  lan- 
guage was  acquired,  and  in  1818  a  version  of  the  New 
Testament  was  prepared  and  published.  How  far  the 
translators  were  aided  by  the  translation  of  Dr.  Carey  it 
is  impossible  to  say.  The  Old  Testament  was  also 
roughly   translated,   though   not   published    until   some 


28  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

years  later.  This  was,  probably,  entirely  their  own 
work. 

From  1832  to  1835  there  was  no  missionary  at  Viza^ 
gapatam,  and  this  probably  accounts  for  the  impression 
that  the  mission  was  "  relinquished."  The  condition  of 
the  mission  at  this  time  seems  to  have  been  like  that  of 
our  own  from  1846  to  1849,  with  this  difference,  that  while 
our  Board  seriously  discussed  the  question  of  abandoning 
Nellore,  we  have  no  intimation  that  such  a  question  had 
ever  been  raised  by  the  London  Mission  respecting  Viza- 
gapatam. 

In  1835,  the  Rev.  J.  W.  Gordon,  son  of  a  former  mis- 
sionary, arrived  in  Vizagapatam.  Several  conversions 
took  place  that  year.  Thirteen  schools  were  maintained 
in  and  about  Vizagapatam.  The  Rev.  E.  Porter  joined 
the  mission  that  year,  and  Mrs.  Gordon  and  Mrs.  Porter 
had  a  girls'  boarding  school  of  from  eighty  to  one  hun- 
dred native  girls.  In  1836,  the  first  Protestant  chapel 
among  the  Telugus  was  built.  The  Sunday-school  num- 
bered one  hundred  and  fifty.  A  press  was  set  up  from 
which  were  issued  a  revised  version  of  the  New  Testament 
and  portions  of  the  Old  Testament  above  referred  to  ;  also 
twenty  thousand  tracts,  averaging  five  pages  each,  were 
issued  annually,  besides  elementary  school-books.  Pil- 
grim's Progress,  Peep  of  Day,  etc.,  all  prepared  by  the 
missionaries  of  Vizagapatam. 

This  was  the  condition  of  the  London  Mission  when 
Mr.  Day  landed  at  Vizagapatam,  March  7,  1836.  The 
new  missionaries  were  kindly  received  by  the  Rev.  and 
Mrs.  J.  W.  Gordon,  of  the  London  Mission.  Mr.  Day 
preached  frequently  for  Mr.  Gordon,  and  in  other  ways 


ORIGIN   OF   THE   MISSION.  29 

assisted  him  all  he  could.  But  he  wanted  to  be  in  some 
place  where  he  could  begin  a  mission  of  his  own  ;  hence 
after  a  few  months  he  and  JMrs.  Day  removed  to  Chica- 
cole,  about  seventy  miles  north  of  Vizagapatam.  Here 
they  commenced  the  study  of  Telugu  and  attempted  some 
work.  Although  a  fair  beginning  had  been  made,  Mr. 
Day  did  not  feel  satisfied  that  it  was  the  place  for  the 
permanent  mission.  In  consultation  with  Mr.  Malcom 
it  was  decided  to  remove  the  mission  to  Madras,  to  which 
city  he  and  Mrs.  Day  proceeded,  arriving  there  March  7, 
1837,  exactly  one  year  from  the  date  of  his  arrival  at 
Vizap:apatam. 

Here  he  spent  three  years,  preaching  both  in  English 
and  Telugu.  On  the  4th  of  August,  1838,  an  English 
Baptist  church  was  organized  under  the  leadership  of 
Mr.  Day,  who  became  its  acting  pastor.  It  consisted  of 
fifteen  members,  some  of  whom  had  been  converted  and 
were  members  of  our  churches  in  Moulmein  and  Tavoy, 
Burma  The  Confession  of  Faith  adopted  was  that 
known  as  the  "  Danville  Articles,"  or  Articles  of  the  Dan- 
ville, Vt.,  Association. 

During  the  three  years  Mr.  Day  resided  in  Madras  he 
made  repeated  and  extensive  tours  up  into  the  Telugu 
country.  He  found  that  between  Madras  and  Vizagapa- 
tam, a  distance  of  nearly  four  hundred  miles,  and  a  ter- 
ritory containing  at  least  ten  millions  of  people,  there  was 
not  a  single  missionary.  Moreover,  while  he  had  met 
with  some  success  in  his  English  work,  he  had  thus  far 
not  baptized  a  single  Telugu  convert.  He  therefore  re- 
solved that  as  he  had  been  appointed  a  missionary  to  the 
Telugus,  he  should  be  where  the  Telugus  chiefly  were. 


30  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

Hence,  on  the  9th  of  February,  1840,  he  announced  to 
the  church  in  Madras  that  he  had  decided  to  remove  to 
Nellore,  and  accordingly  resigned  his  office  as  pastor. 

Although  the  distance  from  Madras  to  Nellore  is  only 
a  hundred  and  eight  miles,  the  journey  in  those  days,  es- 
pecially with  a  family  of  small  children,  was  a  consider- 
able undertaking.  Mr.  Day  had  the  choice  of  two  routes. 
First  there  was  the  great  Northern  Trunk  Road  which 
connects  Madras  and  Secunderabad  and  passes  through 
Nellore  and  Ongole.  To  make  the  journey  by  this  road 
would  require  five  or  six  carts  drawn  by  bullocks,  and  oc- 
cupy six  nights,  stopping  during  the  day  at  rest  houses  or 
bungalows  along  the  way  to  avoid  the  heat  and  to  rest 
and  feed  both  passengers  and  bullocks.  The  other  route, 
and  the  one  Mr.  Day  selected,  was  by  canal  to  Sulurpett, 
which  was  at  that  time  the  limit  of  what  is  now  known  as 
the  Buckingham  Canal,  named  after  the  Duke  of  Buck- 
ingham because  completed  under  his  administration  as 
governor  during  the  famine.  Mr.  Day  provided  two 
rude  native  boats  for  himself,  family,  and  effects,  and 
started  in  the  evening  making  the  journey  to  Sulurpett  in 
two  nights  and  one  day.  That  was  the  easiest  part  of  the 
journey.  From  Sulurpett  to  Nellore  is  sixty  miles,  and 
over  the  rough  road  between  the  two,  Mrs.  Day  and  two 
children  were  carried  in  a  palanquin  ;  little  Malcom  and 
his  ayah  (nurse)  in  a  dooly — a  sort  of  extempore  palan- 
quin— and  the  rest  in  country  carts.  Thus  they  reached 
Nellore  in  about  the  same  time  that  would  have  been  re- 
quired had  they  gone  by  road,  but  with  much  less  fatigue. 
The  facilities  of  travel  between  Madras  and  Nellore 
were  somewhat  improved  by  the  completion  of  the  Buck- 


ORIGIN   OF   THE    MISSION.  31 

inghara  Canal  both  with  respect  to  time  and  comfort. 
The  caual  reaches  within  sixteen  miles  of  Nellore,  and  the 
style  of  boats  has  been  much  improved,  so  that  the  journey 
can  now  be  made  with  comfort  in  forty-eight  hours,  or 
less  if  the  wind  is  favorable.  The  boats  can  only  sail 
when  t'  e  wind  is  fair ;  otherwise  they  are  drawn  by  coolies 
on  the  bank  or  poled  along  in  the  lakes  and  back-waters 
There  is  now  a  railway  which  connects  Nellore  with  the 
Madras  and  Bombay  Railway,  and  gives  it  railroad  com- 
munication with  all  the  principal  cities  of  India.  There 
are  also  two  other  linesof  railroad  under  construction,  and 
a  third  is  projected  which  when  finished  will  connect  almost 
every  station  in  the  mission  with  every  other.  So  that  the 
day  is  not  distant  when  the  whole  system  of  missionary 
itinerancy  in  this  mission  will  be  completely  revolution- 
ized. 


CHAPTER  III. 

NELLORE  OCCUPIED. 

The  Nellore  District.  Meaning  of  "  district."  The  city  of  Nellore,  Signifi- 
cance of  name.  Settlement  of  missionaries  at  Nellore  and  acquirement  of  a 
"  compound."  Signs  of  progress.  Baptism  of  the  first  Telugu  convert.  A 
convert  at  Ongole.  Progress  in  the  schools  of  Nellore.  Organization  of  a 
church.  Departure  of  Mr.  Van  Husen.  The  need  of  help.  The  return  of 
Mr.  Day.  The  mission  in  charge  of  the  Eurasians  Return  of  Mr.  Day  with 
Mr.  Jewett  and  wife.  Re-commencement  of  the  work.  Re-establishment  of 
girls' school.  Conversion  of  "Julia."  The  position  of  schools.  A  mission- 
ary tour.    The  impetus  of  three  years.    Visit  of  Messrs.  Peck  and  Granger. 

I^ELLORE  is  the  chief  city  of  the  Nellore  District. 
-i- 1  As  this  word  "  district "  will  frequently  occur  in 
these  pages,  it  may  as  well  be  explained  that  the  presi- 
dency of  Madras  is  divided  into  twenty-two  districts,  each 
of  which  is  governed  by  an  English  official  called  the 
collector.  Besides  being  the  collector  of  revenue,  he  is 
the  chief  magistrate  of  the  district.  His  position  hardly 
corresponds  to  that  of  the  governor  of  a  State,  and  yet  it  is 
nearer  to  that  than  anything  else  in  our  home  government. 
His  salary  is  one  thousand  two  hundred  pounds  a  year. 
The  judge  of  the  district  occupies  the  same  official  rank, 
and  receives  the  same  pay,  but  his  duties  are  exclusively 
confined  to  the  court.  Besides  these,  there  are  other  Eng- 
lish officials,  such  as  the  surgeon,  the  district  engineer, 
superintendent  of  police,  etc.,  and  an  almost  endless 
number  of  native  subordinates.  The  Nellore  District  is 
one  hundred  and  seventy  miles  long  from  north  to  south, 
and  seventy  miles  ^vide  from  east  to  west,  and  contains 
82 


NELLORK   OCCUPIED.  33 

eight  thousand  seven  hundred  and  fifty-one  square  miles 
of  territory,  and  about  one  and  one-fourth  millions  of 
people. 

Nellore  town  or  city,  for  it  is  a  municipality,  is  one 
hundred  and  seven  miles  north  of  Madras  and  sixteen 
miles  inland  from  the  sea.  It  is  situated  on  the  south  bank 
of  the  river  Pennar,  and  contains  very  nearly  thirty 
thousand  people.  The  name  Nellore,  like  so  many  other 
Telugu  names,  had  its  origin  in  a  legend.  Tliere  is  said  to 
have  been  a  chief  called  Mukkanti  Reddi  who  had  large 
herds.  Among  them,  there  was  a  cow  into  which  the  soul 
of  a  Brahman  woman  was  supposed  to  have  passed.  This 
cow  had  a  revelation  that  Siva  had  appeared  on  earth  in 
the  form  of  a  lingam.  This  stone  was  situated  under  a 
tree  called  the  Nelli-chettu  (philanthus  emblica).  The 
cow  was  observed  to  resort  daily  to  the  stone  and  bedew 
it  with  its  milk.  For  this  the  cowdierd  struck  the  cow, 
whereupon  blood  flowed  from  it.  Mukkanti,  who  had  had 
a  vision,  was  directed  to  erect  a  temple  on  the  spot,  which 
he  accordingly  did.  The  adjoining  village  received  the 
name  Nelli-uru,  from  nelli  the  name  of  the  tree,  and  uru 
a  village,  hence  Nelluru  or  Nellore.  Nellore  was  formerly 
surrounded  by  a  rampart  wall,  and  had  a  fort  of  consider- 
able importance ;  but  only  portions  of  the  wall  can  now^  be 
seen,  and  the  fort  is  dilapidated,  though  still  used  for 
government  ofiices. 

Mr.  Day  and  family  left  Madras,  February  18th,  and 
arrived  in  Nellore,  February  26,  1840.  He  was  soon 
afterward  followed  by  the  Rev.  S.  Van  Husen  and  wife, 
who  had  been  appointed  to  the  Telugus,  and  sailed  from 
Boston,  October  22,  1839,  arriving  in  Madras  in  March, 


34  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU    MISSION. 

1840.  Mr.  Day  at  first  rented  a  small  bungalow,  but 
with  the  aid  of  Judge  Walker,  Avho  became  a  warm 
friend  of  the  mission,  he  obtained  a  grant  from  govern- 
ment of  eiglit  acres  of  land  for  a  mission  compound.  On 
this  compound,  the  present  bungalow  or  mission  house 
was  erected  in  1841,  and  soon  after  a  small  chapel  directly 
in  front  of  it  and  close  to  the  road. 

If  we  may  judge  from  the  size  of  the  bungalow  and  the 
solid  manner  in  which  it  was  built,  we  should  say  that 
Mr.  Day  must  have  had  a  decided  conviction  that  he  had 
at  last  found  a  place  where  he  meant  to  stay,  or  at  least 
where  the  mission  was  destined  to  stay.  How  far  Mr. 
Day's  faith  reached  into  the  future  we  cannot  say,  but 
there  are  many  evidences  that  he  saw  by  faith  what  we 
have  since  beheld  with  the  natural  eye. 

During  the  erection  of  the  bungalow,  an  incident 
occurred  which  shows  the  gross  superstition  of  the  people 
at  that  time,  and  the  progress  that  has  been  made  in  dis- 
pelling their  darkness.  The  foot-path  between  two  of  the 
pettas  or  hamlets  of  Nellore  lay  directly  through  what  is 
now  the  mission  compound.  The  native  who  superin- 
tended the  work,  had  been  much  annoyed  by  the  constant 
passing  and  repassing  of  the  people.  To  get  rid  of  them, 
he  secretly  informed  a  few  that  the  missionary,  in  order 
to  make  his  building  more  secure,  intended  capturing  a 
lot  of  the  children,  and  having  cut  off  their  heads,  and 
offering  them  in  sacrifice  to  his  God,  would  bury  them  in 
the  deep  holes  (foundations)  he  was  digging.  This  not 
only  had  the  desired  effect,  but  it  so  terrified  the  whole 
community  that  for  many  months  JNIr.  Day  had  the 
greatest   difficulty  to  persuade  the   people   of  the   utter 


NELLOKE   OCCUPIED.  35 

groundlessness  of  the  story.  But  the  gentle  spirit  and 
unmistakable  love  for  the  natives  which  so  marked  Mr. 
Day's  character  could  not  be  resisted,  and  in  time  all  traces 
of  distrust  died  away.  If  such  a  story  were  started  to-day, 
there  is  not  a  cooly  in  the  whole  region  around  who  would 
give  it  the  slightest  credence. 

Another  evidence  of  progress  is  seen  in  the  different 
treatment  missionaries  of  to-day  receive  from  that  which 
sometimes  greeted  our  pioneers.  About  seven  miles  west  of 
Nellore  there  is  a  celebrated  temple  built  on  the  summit 
of  a  hill  called  Nursimhakonda.  To  this  temple's  festival 
thousands  of  people  resort  once  a  year.  AYith  a  view  to 
teaching  the  vast  crowds  a  better  way,  Mr.  Day  and  a  few 
native  helpers  went  to  the  festival.  In  a  village  at  the 
foot  of  the  hill,  called  Zonnavada,  a  Brahman,  becoming 
enraged  at  the  preaching,  deliberately  took  off  his  shoe 
and  struck  Mr.  Day  repeated  blows  on  the  head  and  face. 
Mr.  Day  had  no  disposition  to  prosecute  the  man,,  but  the 
case  reached  the  magistrate,  who  insisted  upon  bringing 
him  to  trial.  The  difficulty,  however,  of  convicting  a 
Brahman  of  crime  was  so  great  that  he  would  no  doubt 
have  gotten  off  but  for  an  eccentric  native  official,  who 
stepped  into  the  court  uncalled  and  testified  that  he  saw 
the  prisoner  beat  jMr.  Day.  The  Brahman  was  accord- 
ingly convicted,  and  fined  five  hundred  rupees.  Such  a 
case  as  this  is  quite  unheard  of  in  this  j^art  of  India  now, 
though,  as  we  shall  see,  similar  cases  occurred  in  other 
parts  of  the  mission  much  later  than  Mr.  Day's  time. 

Toward  sunset  on  the  27th  of  September,  1841,  a  little 
company  might  have  been  seen  wending  its  way  toward 
the  Pennar  river."    Right  under  the  shadow  of  the  great 


36  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MI?SrON. 

Nellore  temple  on  the  river  bank,  they  sang  a  hymn  ;  the 
missionary  read  a  few  passages  of  Scripture,  and  explained 
the  nature  of  the  ordinance  about  to  be  celebrated.  By 
this  time  a  large  crowd  of  natives  had  assembled,  and  Mr. 
Day  embraced  the  opportunity  to  preach  to  them  of  Jesus 
and  the  great  salvation.  A  brief  prayer  was  then  offered 
and  Veukappah,  the  first  Telugu  convert,  was  led  down 
into  the  river  and  baptized  into  the  name  of  the  Father, 
Son,  and  Holy  Ghost.  It  was  a  strange  sight  to  the  won- 
dering multitude,  but  a  happy  experience  to  Venkappah, 
and  probably  one  of  the  most  blessed  privileges  of  Mr. 
Day's  life. 

About  this  time  an  old  man  from  Ongole  came  to  Nel- 
lore on  business,  and  hearing  that  missionaries  were  there 
called  to  see  them.  He  said  that  almost  two  years  before, 
he  began  to  examine  the  Christian  religion,  and  that  he 
was  satisfied  of  its  truth,  and  believed  in  Jesus  Christ  for 
salvation.  He  admitted  that  all  should  openly  profess 
Christ  before  men ;  "  but,"  said  he,  "  Ongole  is  a  large 
place  ;  there  are  no  missionaries,  no  disciples  of  Jesus 
Christ  there  ;  what  can  I  do  ?  "  He  was  supplied  with 
portions  of  the  Scriptures  and  some  tracts,  and  went  back 
to  his  family,  followed  by  earnest  prayer.  The  next  year 
Mr.  Van  Husen  visited  Ongole  and  found  this  old  man. 
He  was  in  the  habit  of  praying  and  reading  the  Script- 
ures to  his  family  and  others.  His  wives  at  first  opposed 
him,  but  afterward  listened  quietly.  This  old  man  was  a 
Sudra,  and  although  never  baptized,  he  was  in  the  habit 
of  preaching  the  new  religion  among  the  people  of  On- 
gole. By  whom  he  was  led  to  the  truth  we  do  not  know, 
but  it  is  probable  that  Venkappah,  the  first  convert,  who 


XELLOliE   OCCUPIED.  37 

lived  beyond  Ongole,  had  frequent  conversations  with  him. 
Thus  early  in  its  history  the  influence  of  the  mission  had 
reached  out  into  those  regions  that  have  since  become  so 
fruitful  and  famous. 

The  attendants  in  the  schools  in  Nellore  made  good 
progress  in  learning  the  Scriptures.  The  native  assistants 
were  earnest  and  faithful,  and  though  embarrassed  by  sick- 
ness, the  missionaries  were  encouraged.  "Yet  we  are 
grieved  and  disappointed,"  wrote  Mr.  Day,  "  because  the 
interest  felt  by  our  denomination  in  the  missionary  cause 
is  not  such  as  to  enable  the  Board  to  send  any  more  mis- 
sionaries here." 

The  Nellore  Church  was  organized  October  12,  1844, 
composed  of  eight  members,  namely :  Rev.  S.  S.  Day, 
Mrs.  Day,  Rev.  S.  Van  Husen,  ]\Irs.  Van  Husen,  Eliza- 
beth Jackson,  Christian  Nursu,  J.  Cay  and  Elisha.  As 
in  the  church  in  Madras,  the  Confession  of  Faith  adopted 
was  the  "  Danville  Articles." 

At  this  time  Mr.  Van  Husen  was  in  a  very  precarious 
state  of  health.  For  a  time  he  removed  to  Madras  for 
change  and  better  medical  treatment,  but  instead  of  im- 
proving, his  symptoms  became  more  alarming.  Nothing 
short  of  a  return  to  America  was  likely  to  be  of  any  avail, 
and  even  with  this  his  recovery  was  extremely  doubtful. 
Hence  it  was  decided  that  he  should  go  home.  On  Sun- 
day, April  20,  1845,  letters  of  dismission  were  granted  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Van  Husen,  and  in  the  evening  Mr.  Van 
Husen  administered  the  Lord's  Supper  and  bade  farewell 
to  the  little  church.  They  left  Nellore  the  same  week 
never  again  to  return.  The  parting  was  painful  to  all,  but 
especially  so  to  Mr.  Day,  who  was  thus  left  alone,  and  tl  at 


38  HISTORY    OF   THE   TELUUU    MISSION. 

too,  in  very  feeble  health.  He  wrote  home  most  earnest 
and  touching  appeals  for  help,  but  no  help  came.  At  this 
time  cholera  broke  out  in  Nellore,  so  that  the  schools  had 
to  be  closed.  The  following  year  (1846)  Mr.  Day's 
health  had  so  far  declined  that  his  physicians  ordered  hij 
immediate  return  to  America.  "  The  thought  of  visiting 
our  native  land,"  he  said,  "  gives  little  satisfaction.  Oh ! 
the  mission  we  leave — the  little  church — the  few  inquir- 
ers— the  schools — the  heathen — yes,  the  hundred  thousand 
heathen  immediately  in  our  vicinity — the  million  in  the 
district — the  ten  millions  in  our  mission  field — what  will 
become  of  them  ?  " 

The  necessity  of  spending  so  much  money  in  taking 
missionaries /ro/>i  the  field  rather  than  bringing  men  to  it, 
or  of  supporting  them  while  in  it,  was  very  painful  to  Mr. 
Day,  and  God  mitigated  the  pain  in  his  own  case  by  rais- 
ing up  friends  for  him  in  Nellore  and  Madras,  who  pro- 
vided the  entire  amount  for  the  passage  of  himself  and 
family  to  the  United  States. 

The  mission  was  left  in  the  care  of  two  Eurasians,  who 
had  done  good  service  while  the  missionary  remained,  and 
seemed  to  be  trustworthy.  But  it  proved  far  otherwise. 
As  soon  as  the  missionary  had  departed  they  entered  upon 
a  most  reckless  career.  The  schools  were  disbanded,  the 
church  was  scattered,  and  the  mission  bungalow,  conse- 
crated by  the  prayers  and  lives  of  devoted  men  of  God,  be- 
came the  scene  of  drunken  revels  and  shameless  debauch. 

It  is,  perhaps,  well  that  this  state  of  affairs  wa.s  not 
known  to  the  Missionary  Union  in  1848,  when  the  ques- 
tion was  discussed  at  the  annual  meeting  of  that  year, 
whether  the  mission  should  be  continued  or  abandoned. 


History  of  the  Telugu  Mission.  Page  39. 

REV.  LYMAN  JEWETT. 


NELr.ORE   OCCUPIED.  39 

Had  it  been  knoTvn,  their  decision  to  reinforce  it  might 
have  been  reversed.  But  that  was  not  God's  plan.  His 
plan  -sN'as  to  save  the  Tehigus,  and  hence  he  put  it  into 
the  hearts  of  his  people  to  continue  the  missioji. 

It  is  said  that  the  darkest  hour  of  the  twenty-four  is 
that  one  just  before  day-break.  The  year  1848  was 
doubtless  the  darkest  in  the  history  of  this  mission. 
Nothing  could  appear  more  utterly  hopeless,  if  its  real 
state  could  have  been  known,  than  the  condition  of  the 
mission  at  this  time.  But  it  was  in  that  year  that  God 
put  it  into  the  heart  of  Lyman  Jewett  to  consecrate  his 
life  to  his  service  among  the  Telugus.  That  was  at  least 
the  beginning  of  the  dawn,  as  Ave  shall  see  by-and-by. 

Mr.  Dav's  health  having  in  some  measure  been  restored, 
he  left  his  family  at  home,  and  again  sailed  for  India  on 
the  10th  of  October,  1848,  in  the  ship  "  Bowditch  "  from 
Boston.  He  was  accompanied  by  the  Rev.  Lymau  Jewett 
and  Avife.  During  the  voyage,  the  captain  was  converted 
and  many  of  the  seamen  were  seriously  impressed  by  the 
preaching,  conversation,  and  lives  of  the  missionaries. 

On  their  arrival  in  Nellore,  iSIr.  Day  was  shocked  at 
the  sad  havoc  Satan  had  made  among  the  ■little  flock. 
Almost  every  trace  of  his  former  work  had  been  obliter- 
ated. But  he  had  not  lost  his  faith  in  God,  nor  yet  in  the 
work  he  had  sent  him  to  do.  Hence  he  did  not  falter,  but 
bravely  sought  to  "  rebuild  the  waste  places."  He  resumed 
the  chapel  services  on  the  26th  of  March,  1849.  His  text 
was :  "  For  I  determined  not  to  know  anything  among 
you,  save  Jesus  Christ,  and  him  crucified."  He  found 
he  had  not  forgotten  his  Telugu,  but  had  much  freedom 
in  preaching.     There  were  some  indications  that  serious 


40  HISTORY    OF    THE    TELUGU    MISSION. 

impressions  had  been  made  on  some  of  his  hearers.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Jewett  were  present,  and  in  the  evening  meeting 
Mr.  Jewett  prayed  most  fervently  for  a  blessing  on  the 
preached  word. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jewett  made  rapid  progress  in  acquirhig 
the  Telugu,  so  that  Mr.  Jewett  is  said  to  have  preached  his 
first  Telugu  sermon  in  nine  months  after  his  arrival.  Mrs. 
Jewett's  command  of  the  colloquial  Telugu  was  remark- 
able. She  early  became  interested  in  a  girls*  boarding 
schooL  Such  aschool  had  existed  in  Mrs.  Day's  time,  but 
it  had  been  scattered.  They  began  the  school  with  two 
or  three  little  girls,  one  of  whom  was  "  Julia,"  now  so  well 
known,  and  two  or  three  little  orphan  boys.  Mr.  Day  was 
deeply  interested  in  the  children.  He  watched  over  them 
as  he  would  his  own,  and  frequently  performed  such  acts 
of  menial  service  for  them  as  few  fathers  would  care  to 
do  even  for  their  own  children.  He  taught  them  daily 
in  the  school,  prayed  with  them,  and  in  every  way  tried  to 
lead  them  to  the  Saviour. 

"  Julia  "  was  the  first  fruits  of  this  school,  and  if  there 
had  never  been  another  convert,  she  alone  would  be  ample 
compensation  for  all  it  has  cost.  But  Julia  was  not 
secured  without  a  struggle,  not  with  her,  but  on  account  of 
her  with  her  heathen  mother.  A  deep  religious  spirit 
pervaded  the  little  company  of  believers,  and  the  Spirit  of 
the  Lord  seemed  to  be  with  them.  Julia  evidently  was 
much  impressed  and  expressed  an  earnest  wish  to  be  bap- 
tized. Her  mother  also  appeared' to  be  inquiring,  and 
Julia  had  no  fears  about  getting  her  mother's  consent  to 
her  being  baptized.  But  when  the  request  was  made,  she 
seemed  to  be  possessed.     She  came  to  the  missionaries  and 


History  of  the  Telugu  IVIission. 

JULIA  OF  NELLOEE. 


Page  40. 


NELLORE   0(X^UPIED.  41 

demanded  her  child.  She  would  listen  to  no  argument  or 
reason.  She  professed  to  be  sick  and  needed  her  daughter 
to  wait  on  her.  She  wept  and  wailed  until  Julia  overcome 
by  a  sense  of  duty  to  her  mother  joined  in  her  request  to 
be  allowed  to  go.  So  she  had  to  be  given  up,  but  it  was 
only  for  a  time. 

On  the  28th  of  March,  1852,  Julia  and  Mrs.  Gilmore, 
the  matron  of  the  school,  were  baptized  by  Mr.  Jewett  in 
the  great  tank  or  lake  in  Nellore.  These  were  the  first 
converts  Mr.  Jewett  baptized,  and  it  was  a  happy  day  for 
the  missionaries  and  the  little  company  of  native  believers. 
Julia  says  of  that  event :  "  It  was  truly  a  happy  day  for 
me!  The  sun  was  just  rising,  and  everything  was  so 
beautiful.  Father  Day  led  me  out  into  the  lake  and 
Father  Jewett  baptized  me.  I  have  had  many  afflictions 
since  then,  but  I  have  never  lost  the  sweet  comfort  I  then 
found  in  following  my  precious  Saviour." 

Besides  the  boarding  school,  Mr.  Day  had  opened 
several  day  schools  in  which  English  as  well  as  Telugu 
was  taught.  The  chief  portion  of  the  time  was  given  to 
the  Bible,  and  the  reading  books  were  prepared  on 
Christian  principles.  So  that  in  these  schools,  some  two 
hundred  and  seventy  were  receiving  a  thoroughly  Chris- 
tian education  from  which  the  missionaries  looked  for 
much  precious  results.  Hence,  it  was  a  sore  bereavement 
to  Mr.  Day  when  he  received  from  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee an  order  that  all  such  schools  should  be  closed, 
and  no  appropriations  for  such  work  would  be  made  for 
the  year  beginning  October  1,  1850.  There  was  no  alter- 
native but  to  obey  and  close  the  schools. 

Mr.   Day  was   a   pronounced   evangelistic  missionary. 


42  HLSTOIIY    OF   THE    TELITGU    MISSION. 

He  had  no  idea  of  educating  people  into  the  kingdom  of 
God.  At  the  same  time  he  regarded  schools  with  great  favor 
even  as  an  evangelistic  agency.  Hence,  he  felt  that  this 
order  was  as  a  severe  blow  to  the  mission.  The  present 
pohcy  of  the  mission  in  regard  to  schools  is  not  very  dif- 
ferent from  that  which  Mr.  Day  appears  to  have  held 
forty  years  ago.  But  it  does  not  follow  that  our  present 
school  system  would  have  been  a  wise  one  then.  Circum- 
stances are  very  different.  Though  we  admit  heathen 
children  to  our  schools,  and  hope  for  and  even  expect 
their  conversion,  yet  our  primary  object  in  opening 
schools,  is  for  the  education  of  our  Christiau  youth. 

On  the  spot  now  occupied  by  the  girls'  school  there 
used  to  be  a  small  Hindu  temple,  which  was  a  source  of 
great  annoyance  to  the  missiou.  Mr.  Day  had  made  fre- 
quent attempts  to  get  it  removed,  but  in  vain.  But  at 
last  the  old  priest  died,  and  as  his  children  could  not 
carry  on  the  work  of  deception  which  brought  the  old 
man  so  much  gain,  they  decided  to  sell  it,  or  rather  the 
land  it  stood  on.  Funds  were  collected,  the  old  temple 
was  purchased  and  removed,  and  in  its  stead  a  small 
building  for  the  boarding  school  was  erected.  It  cost 
some  seven  hundred  rupees,  most  of  which  was  given  by 
the  friends  in  Nellore.  This  served  the  purpose  till  1876, 
when  it  gave  place  to  the  present  building. 

In  January,  1851,  Mr.  Day  made  a  tour  to  the  west 
as  far  as  Udayagiri.  At  Sungam,  twenty  miles  west  of 
Nellore,  he  met  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jewett,  and  spent  a  delight- 
ful Sunday  with  them  in  worship  and  social  intercourse. 
Leaving  them  to  continue  their  work  about  Sungam,  he 
proceeded  to  Atmakur.     He  had  rather  a  difficult  jour- 


NELLORE   OCCUPIED.  43 

ney,  as  there  were  no  such  roads  then  as  there  are 
now. 

His  path  lay  across  rice  fields,  along  ridges  scarcely 
wide  enough  for  his  pony  to  walk  on,  groping  his  way  in 
the  darkness,  and  every  now  and  then  stumbling  into  a 
ditch.  Once  his  pony  tumbled  and  threw  him  into  the 
mud.  Still  he  pushed  on,  and  in  due  time  arrived  at  Atma- 
kur,  glad  enough  to  find  his  tent  pitched  and  ready  for 
him.  After  preaching  in  Atmakur,  and  the  surrounding 
neighborhood,  he  continued  his  journey  westward.  At 
the  next  halting  place  he  entered  a  village  called  Kara- 
tampaud  to  preach.  But  he  was  immediately  ordered  out. 
He  protested  and  remonstrated,  but  the  people  would  listen 
to  no  reason,  and  out  he  was  actually  driven.  This  was 
quite  illegal,  and  Mr.  Day  might  have  had  the  villagers 
punished,  but  that  was  not  his  way.  When,  however, 
they  got  outside  the  village  and  on  the  highway,  Mr. 
Day  refused  to  be  driven  any  farther,  and  there  he 
preached  to  the  crowd  that  had  gathered. 

After  spending  ten  days  on  the  top  of  Udayagiri  Droog 
(a  fortified  hill),  they  came  down  and  resumed  their  work 
of  preaching  and  distributing  tracts  and  Scripture  por- 
tions. On  leaving  Udayagiri,  Mr.  Day  exclaimed  :  "  Oh, 
for  a  couple  of  mission  families  to  live  somewhere  in  this 
region,  and  to  labor  among  this  people  !  "  If  it  is  per- 
mitted the  redeemed  to  look  down  upon  the  scenes  of  their 
former  labors,  Mr.  Day  now  sees  that  wish  literally  ful- 
filled, for  since  1884,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Burditt  have  faith- 
fully labored  at  Udayagiri,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stone  are 
stationed  at  Atmakur. 

In  the  three  years  that  had  now  passed  since  the  arrival 


44  HISTORY    OF   THE   TELUGU    MISSION. 

of  the  missionaries,  notwithstanding  many  discourage- 
ments, a  very  hopeful  impetus  had  been  given  to  the 
work.  The  number  of  converts,  it  is  true,  had  been  very 
few  as  yet,  still  there  were  indications  of  greater  prosper- 
ity. But  in  January,  1853,  a  second  deputation,  consist- 
ing of  Messrs.  Peck  and  Granger,  visited  Nellore.  They 
found  the  missionaries  laboring  faithfully  and  hopeMly  ; 
but  as  the  conversions  had  been  so  few,  and  as  Mr.  Day's 
health  was  again  in  a  very  precarious  condition,  the  re- 
port carried  home  was  not  very  inspiring. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

THE  LONE  STAR. 

Another  crisis  for  the  mission.  Resolution  of  the  Board  to  close  it.  "  The 
Lone  Star."  Effect  on  the  Missionary  Union.  The  question  at  Nellore. 
Mr.  Day  again  laid  aside.  Mr.  Jewett  at  Ongole.  Prayer-meeting  hill. 
The  missionary's  prediction -verified.  Accession  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  l)ougla.ss 
to  the  mission.  Two  converts— Canakiah  and  Lydia.  "  Anna  the  Prophet- 
ess." An  appeal  for  additional  help.  Mr,  Jewett's  remonstrance.  The 
death  of  Nursii.  The  schools  of  the  mission.  Paying  children  to  attend. 
The  Indian  mutiny.  Purchase  of  property  at  Ongole.  Failure  of  Mr. 
Jewett's  health.  The  work  of  Mr.  Douglass.  Native  evangelists.  Suspen- 
sion of  their  work,  and  departure  of  Mr.  Douglass. 

rpHE  year  1853  will  ever  be  memorable  in  the  history 
JL  of  the  mission,  owing  to  two  very  remarkable  events, 
one  of  which  occurred  at  home,  the  other  at  Ongole.  The 
annual  meetings  of  the  Missionary  Union  were  held  that 
year  at  Albany,  N.  Y.  On  account  of  the  very  indifferent 
success  that  had  attended  the  Telugu  Mission  for  seven- 
teen yeai^,  the  question  came  up  for  the  second  time, 
"  Shall  the  mission  be  re-inforced  or  discontinued  ?  "  The 
Union  naturally  turned  to  the  deputation  just  returned 
from  Nellore,  but  they  had  nothing  very  definite  or  deci- 
sive to  report.  On  the  one  hand,  the  field  was  wide  and 
open  ;  the  missionaries  had  acquired  the  language,  and  a 
few  converts  had  been  made.  But  on  the  other  hand,  the 
progress  made  had  been  very  small,  and  the  field  could 
be  cared  for  by  other  societies  laboring  among  the 
Telugus,  though  at  some  distance  from  the  field  occu- 
pied by  our  missionaries.     Viewed   in  the  light  of  the 

45 


46  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU    MISSION". 

Lord's  commission,  there  was  nothing  which  warranted  a 
retreat. 

The  question  was  referred  to  the  Board,  where  a  prop- 
osition was  made  that  a  lettter  be  written  to  Dr.  Jewett 
requesting  him  to  close  up  the  mission  and  remove  to  Bur- 
ma. Dr.  Edward  Bright,  then  acting  correspondiug 
secretary,  said,  "  And  who  will  write  the  letter?  and  who 
will  write  the  letter?  "  intimating,  by  repeating  the  ques- 
tion and  by  the  tone  of  his  voice,  that  write  it  who  might, 
he  certainly  would  not. 

In  the  evening,  when  the  question  came  up  in  the  public 
meeting  for  discussion,  a  number  of  very  earnest  and  elo- 
queut  addresses  were  made.  One  of  the  speakers,  in  the 
course  of  his  address,  turned  to  the  mission  map  which 
hung  on  the  wall,  and  pointing  to  Nellore,  called  it  the 
"  Lone  Star  Mission,"  there  being  but  the  one  station. 
The  Kev.  S.  F.  Smith,  D.  D.,  author  of  our  National 
Hymn,  caught  up  the  words  "  lone  star,"  and  before  he 
slept  wrote  the  following  lines: 

"THE  LONE  STAR." 

Shine  on,  "  Lone  Star  !  "  Thy  radiance  bright 

Shall  spread  o'er  all  the  eastern  sky  ; 
Morn  breaks  apace  from  gloom  and  night- 
Shine  on,  and  bless  the  pilgrim's  eye. 

Shine  on,  "  Lone  Star !  "  I  would  not  dim 
The  light  that  gleams  with  dubious  ray  ; 

The  lonely  star  of  Bethlehem 

Led  on  a  bright  and  glorious  day. 

Shine  on,  "  Lone  Star!  "  in  grief  and  tears, 

And  sad  reverses  oft  baptized  ; 
Shine  on  amid  thy  sister  spheres  : 

Lone  stars  in  heaven  are  not  despised. 


THK    LONE   STAR.  47 

Shine  on,  "  Lone  Star  !  "  Who  lifts  his  hand 

To  dash  to  eartli  so  bright  a  gem, 
A  new  "  lost  pleiad  "  from  the  band 

That  sparkles  in  night's  diadem? 

Shine  on,  "Lone  Star!  "  The  day  draws  near 
"When  none  shall  shine  more  fair  than  thou  ; 

Thou,  born  and  nursed  in  doubt  and  fear 
Wilt  glitter  on  Immanuel's  brow. 

Shine  on,  "  Lone  Star  !  "  till  earth  redeemed, 

In  dust  shall  bid  its  idols  fall  ; 
And  tl)ousands,  where  thy  radiance  beamed 

Shall  "  crown  the  Saviour,  Lord  of  all."' 

When  Dr.  Smith  came  down  to  breakfast  the  next  morn- 
ing, he  handed  to  his  friend,  Judge  Harris,  a  slip  of  paper, 
with  the  remark,  "Those  are  my  opinions  of  the  Telugu 
Mission."  The  judge  read  the  little  poem,  but  instead  of 
returning  it,  as  Dr.  Smith  expected,  he  quietly  appropiated 
it,  carried  it  to  the  meeting,  and  read  the  verses.  Many 
wept  and  sobbed  during  the  reading,  and  whatever  of 
doubt  remained  as  to  continuing  the  mission  was  now  re- 
moved. It  was  unanimously  voted  to  reinforce  the  mission, 
provided  it  could  be  done  without  prejudice  to  the  Burman 
Mission. 

While  these  discussions  were  going  on  at  home,  a  very 
different  state  of  things  existed  in  Nellore.  The  question 
of  abandoning  the  mission  never  once  entered  the  minds 
of  the  missionaries.  There  was  no  doubtinoj  or  waverinoj 
with  them.  They  might  live  or  die,  but  the  mission  must 
go  on.  On  almost  the  very  day  when  these  discussions 
were  going  on  at  Albany,  the  missionaries  were  re-organ- 
izing the  Nellore  Church,  after  the  defections  that  had 
occurred  in  the  absence  of  the  missionaries.    A  number  of 


48  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU    MISSION. 

converts  had  been  baptized,  and  were  now  added  to  tlie 
church.  Inquirers  were  multiplying  and  fresh  hopes  were 
inspiring  the  little  band  of  Christian  laborers. 

But  in  the  midst  of  this  flush  of  prosperity,  God  once 
more  sorely  tested  their  faith  by  again  laying  aside  from 
active  service  the  father  of  the  mission,  Mr.  Day's  health 
broke  down,  and  he  was  obliged,  for  the  second  time,  to 
quit  the  mission  and  the  country,  never  again  to  return. 
When  in  addition  to  this,  the  report  reached  Mr.  Jewett 
that  it  had  been  proposed  to  remove  him  to  Burma,  it  had 
a  most  depressing  effect.  He  said,  "  I  would  rather  labor 
on  here  as  long  as  I  live  than  to  be  torn  up  by  the  roots 
and  transplanted.  Faith  and  my  own  conscience  tell  me 
that  I  am  not  laboring  in  vain  in  the  Lord." 

It  was  toward  the  close  of  1853  that  the  other  event  to 
which  reference  has  been  made  took  place.  INIr.  and  Mrs. 
Jewett,  with  a  few  native  helpers,  made  a  tour  to  the  north 
as  far  as  Guntur.  They  reached  Ongole  the  last  week  in 
December,  and  spent  five  or  six  days  preaching  in  the 
streets.  The  people  heard  them,  if  not  gladly,  at  least  re- 
spectfully. There  was  no  abuse,  no  violence,  and  above 
all  they  were  not  "  assailed  with  hootings  and  stones,"  as 
has  been  reported.  It  had  been  a  custom  at  the  mission- 
house  in  Nellore  for  some  years  to  hold  a  prayer  meeting 
early  on  the  first  day  of  the  new  year.  It  was  therefore 
arranged  that  on  this  New  Year's  day  (1854)  they  should 
hold  their  prayer  meeting  on  the  top  of  the  hill  which  over- 
looks Ongole.  Accordingly,  at  4  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jewett,  Christian  Nursu,  Julia,  and  Ruth 
started  from  their  tent,  and  climbed  the  hill.  Julia  says  : 
"  I  carried  a  stool,  and  Ruth  carried  a  mat,  and  when  we 


THE    LONE   STAR.  49 

reached  the  top  of  the  hill  we  all  sat  down.  First,  we 
sung  a  hymn,  and  Father  Jewett  prayed  ;  then  Christian 
Nursii  prayed  ;  then  father  read  a  portion  of  Isaiah, 
fifty-second  chapter,  '  How  beautiful  upon  the  mountains 
are  the  feet  of  him  that  bringeth  good  tidings.'  Then 
Mother  Jewett  prayed,  then  I  prayed,  and  then  Ruth 
prayed.  When  Father  Jewett  prayed,  I  remember  he 
said,  *  As  the  sun  is  now  about  to  rise  and  shine  upon  the 
earth  so  may  the  sun  of  righteousness  arise  quickly  and 
shine  upon  this  dark  laud.'  After  we  had  all  prayed, 
Father  Jewett  stood  up,  and  stretching  out  his  hand,  said  : 
*  Do  you  see  that  rising  piece  of  ground  yonder,  all  covered 
over  with  prickly  pear  ?  Would  you  not  like  that  spot 
for  our  mission  bungalow  and  all  this  land  to  become 
Christian  ?  How  would  you  like  it  ?  Well,  Nursu,  Julia, 
that  day  will  come  ! '  Then  we  all  spoke  our  minds,  and 
just  as  the  meeting  closed,  the  sun  rose.  It  seemed  as  if 
the  Holy  Spirit  had  lifted  us  above  the  world,  and  our 
hearts  were  filled  with  thanksgiving  to  the  Lord." 

The  first  part  of  Dr.  Jewett's  prediction  has  been  ful- 
filled to  the  letter,  for  it  is  on  the  very  spot  pointed  out  that 
Dr.  Clough's  house  now  stands.  And  this  is  the  more  re- 
markable, because  it  was  not  selected  by  the  mission,  but 
by  a  gentleman  who  built  the  house  for  himself,  and  after- 
ward sold  it  to  the  mission.  The  second  part  of  the  pre- 
diction seems  a  long  way  off"  as  yet,  but  scarcely  more  so 
than  the  first  seemed  at  that  time.  But  be  it  near  or  far, 
it  is  as  sure  to  come  as  God's  word  is  true.  Thus,  both 
at  home  and  in  the  mission,  an  earnest  faith  in  God's  word 
and  in  the  mission  led  its  friends  to  predict  with  almost 
prophetic  assurance  a  glorious  future  for  the  "  Lone  Star." 

D 


50  HISTORY    OF   THE    TELUGU    MISSION. 

In  October,  1854,  the  Rev.  F.  A.  Douglass  and  wife 
sailed  from  Boston  to  join  the  mission.  They  reached 
Nellore  early  the  following  year.  Mr.  Douglass  was  a 
hard  worker.  He  became  exceedingly  fond  of  the  Telugu 
and  acquired  an  exceptionally  good  command  of  the  collo- 
quial dialect.  He  made  extensive  tours  into  the  district, 
and  did  much  in  scattering  the  good  seed  of  the  gospel. 
Among  the  few  converts  of  this  time  there  were  two  who 
deserve  more  than  a  passing  notice.  One  was  Canakiah, 
a  schoolboy,  who  became  the  first  ordained  pastor  of  the 
mission  ;  the  other  was  Lydia,  whom  Dr.  Smith  called 
"  Anna  the  prophetess." 

Canakiah  was  the  son  of  a  Sepoy  belonging  to  the  17th 
Madras  Light  Infantry.  He  was  born  at  Bangalore,  in 
the  native  state  of  Mysore,  in  1837,  while  the  regiment 
was  at  that  station.  His  parents  belonged  to  the  Naidu 
division  of  the  Sudra  caste.  When  about  eight  years  old 
his  father  took  his  pension  and  was  returning  to  his  native 
place,  Vizagapatam,  but  stopped  at  Nellore  to  visit  a  rel- 
ative. This  relative  was  a  pensioned  subahdar,  an  officer 
corresponding  to  sergeant,  who  had  been  converted  while 
his  regiment  was  at  Moulmein,  and  was  baptized  by  Dr. 
Haswell.  While  in  Nellore,  Canakiah's  father  died,  and 
was  buried  in  the  mission  burying  ground.  After  his 
father's  death  he  attended  the  mission  school  as  a  day 
scholar,  but  after  Messrs.  Day  and  Jewett  arrived,  in 
1849,  he  was  admitted  into  the  boarding  school. 

Thus  for  a  number  of  years  he  had  been  under  Chris- 
tian influence,  and  by  the  time  he  reached  his  eighteenth 
year  lie  was  fully  convinced  of  his  need  of  a  Saviour,  and 
of  the  truth  of  Christianity.     He  was  baptized  by  IMr. 


History  of  the  Telugu  Mission.  Page  50, 

REV.  N.  CANAKIAH,  FIRST  ORDAINED  PASTOR. 


THE    T.ONE   STAR.  51 

Jewett,  January  10,  1855.  His  rapid  growth  in  grace 
and  knowledge  of  the  Scriptures,  as  well  as  liis  earnest 
life  and  the  great  scarcity  of  laborers,  led  the  missionary 
to  put  him  into  the  work  while  yet  very  young.  At  first 
he  taught  school,  and  occasionally  went  out  with  the 
missionary  on  his  preaching  tours.  For  this  work  he  de- 
veloped special  qualifications,  and  hence  was  soon  relieved 
of  his  school  work,  and  devoted  himself  entirely  to  evan- 
gelistic  work. 

On  the  20th  of  August,  1856,  Canakiah  was  married  to 
Julia,  and  on  the  14th  of  December,  1861,  he  was 
ordained  pastor  of  the  Nellore  Church,  and  thus  became 
the  first  ordained  native  preacher  of  the  mission.  But 
this  pastoral  relation  lasted  only  a  few  years,  owing  to  the 
pressing  need  of  evangelistic  laborers  and  Canakiah's  spe- 
cial qualifications  for  that  work.  Hence,  soon  after  Mr. 
Jewett's  arrival,  in  1865,  Canakiah  was  relieved  of  his 
pastoral  duties  and  devoted  himself  to  evangelistic  labors, 
in  which  he  has  continued  up  to  the  present  time. 

As  a  Christian,  Canakiah's  record  is  clean.  His  hon- 
esty is  absolutely  above  suspicion.  No  man  in  the  mis- 
sion has  been  trusted  more,  and  certainly  no  man  is  more 
worthy  of  confidence.  He  is  an  able  and  eloquent 
preacher,  and  though  his  educational  advantages  have 
been  limited,  his  general  influence  for  good  has  probably 
never  been  surpassed  by  any  of  the  native  assistants. 

Lydia  was  a  woman  of  the  Sudra  caste,  and  lived  at 
Vizagapatam  at  the  time  of  her  conversion,  which  took 
place  in  her  forty- ninth  year.  Returning  from  one  of  the 
great  Hindu  festivals,  Lydia's  attention  was  directed  to  a 
house  where  a  number  of  Christians  were  assembled.   She 


52  HISTORY    OF    THE   TELUGU    MTS-IOX. 

stopped,  and  they  began  to  preach  to  her  about  Christ. 
She  became  very  angry  and  spoke  rudely  to  the  Chris- 
tians. She  tried  to  defend  her  religion,  claiming  that  there 
was  no  difference  between  their  religion  and  hers.  The 
next  day  she  went  again  to  the  Christians  and  heard  them 
read  the  Bible.  Again  she  went  away  angry,  but  could 
not  banish  from  her  mind  the  words  she  had  heard.  The 
third  day  she  went  again,  and  with  a  similar  result.  A 
fourth  time  she  visited  the  Christians,  but  this  time  it 
was  not  to  dispute,  but  with  the  question  "  How  can  I  ob- 
tain salvation  ?  "  They  told  her  she  would  understand 
all  if  she  only  read  the  Bible.  "  But,"  she  said,  "  I  can- 
not read.  Then  they  told  me,"  she  continued,  "'if  I 
prayed  to  God  he  would  enlighten  me.'  I  started  from 
there  with  much  sorrow.  Then  I  went  to  the  seashore 
and  got  some  sand,  and  next  day  went  to  the  Christian's 
house  and  laid  down  the  sand,  and  asked  the  Christians 
to  teach  me  my  letters,  and  by-and-by  I  would  be  able  to 
read  the  Bible."  In  a  very  few  months  Lydia  had 
learned  to  read.  Her  caste  people  discovered  her  secret, 
and  would  have  made  trouble  for  her,  but  they  feared  the 
disgrace  they  themselves  would  fall  into  if  they  exposed 
the  fact  that  one  of  their  caste-women  had  learned  to  read 
the  Bible. 

Although  fully  convinced  of  the  truth  of  Christianity, 
and  in  all  probability  truly  converted,  Lydia  tried  to  be 
a  secret  Christian,  and  did  not  dare  attend  a  Christian 
church,  much  less  be  baptized.  But  the  Lord  both 
opened  her  eyes  and  prepared  the  way  for  her  to  confess 
Christ.  Her  people  removed  to  Nellore,  and  though  they 
urged  her  to  come,  she  refused  and  stayed  in  Vizagapa- 


THE    L()2sE   STAll.  53 

tarn.  She  then  began  to  attend  the  chapel  of  the  London 
Afission,  and  four  months  afterward  siie  was  baptized. 
Six  months  after  her  baptism  she  went  to  Nellore,  and  in- 
stead of  going  to  her  relatives  she  went  to  the  mission  com- 
pound and  asked  for  a  place  to  stay.  Here  she  remained 
four  years,  worshiping  and  laboring  with  the  Christians, 
but  without  uniting  with  the  church.  At  the  end  of  this 
time,  Mr.  Jew^ett  said  to  her  :  "  Lydia,  this  is  not  right ; 
you  ought  to  go  back  to  the  London  Mission,  where  you 
can  enjoy  the  communion  of  the  Lord's  Supper."  But 
she  refused  to  go,  and  said  she  wished  to  unite  with 
the  church  in  Nellore.  This  course  she  accordingly 
took. 

From  the  day  of  her  baptism,  Lydia  consecrated  her- 
self, body,  soul,  and  all  she  possessed,  to  the  service  of 
Christ.  For  more  than  thirty  years  she  has  been  a  de- 
voted Christian  and  a  faitliful  Bible  woman.  She  has  a 
remarkably  clear  voice  and  distinct  articulation,  and  in 
her  addresses  holds  an  audience  as  few^  native  women  can. 
But  her  chief  characteristic  is  her  passion  for  prayer  and 
her  wonderful  faith.  It  has  been  her  custom  for  many 
years  to  spend  several  hours  each  day  in  prayer  before 
going  out  to  read  and  preach  to  her  countrywomen.  Ex- 
cept when  prevented  by  sickness,  her  place  at  worship 
and  meetings  for  prayer  is  never  vacant,  and  at  the  latter 
she  rarely  fails  to  take  her  part. 

Her  general  appearance,  dress,  and  manner,  together 
with  her  remarkable  utterances  led  Dr.  S.  F.  Smith,  when 
in  Nellore,  to  give  her  the  name  of  "Anna  the  Prophet- 
ess." Lydia  had  long  been  ftimiliar  with  the  early  strug- 
gles of  the  mission,  and  knew  something  of  the  origin  of 


54  HISTORY    OF    THE    TELUGU    MISSION'. 

Dr.  Smith's  "  Lone  Star."  So  one  day,  when  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Smith  were  sitting  on  the  veranda  of  the  bungalow, 
Lydia  came  and  sat  down  at  their  feet.  Taking  them 
both  by  the  knees,  she  said  :  "  We  have  never  seen  Abra- 
ham and  Sarali,  but  we  see  you."  By  which  she  meant 
to  say  that  the  next  best  thing  to  seeing  Abraham  and 
Sarah  was  to  see  Dr.  Smith  and  his  wife,  who  had  inter- 
ceded for  the  Telugus,  and  had  predicted  with  almost 
prophetic  assurance  the  glorious  things  that  had  since 
then  come  to  pass. 

Lydia  is  now  very  feeble  and  almost  blind.  It  is  only 
when  she  prays  that  she  exhibits  anything  of  her  former 
vigor ;  but  in  this  she  seems  as  much  at  home  as  ever. 
She  says  she  is  simply  waiting  for  the  call  of  God,  and 
hoping  to  enter  very  soon  into  the  presence  of  her  Lord. 
Would  that  all  were  as  certain  of  "  an  abundant  en- 
trance." 

In  1855,  the  missionaries  united  in  a  most  earnest  appeal 
to  the  Executive  Committee  for  additional  help.  In  reply, 
the  members  of  the  Committee  said  that  seldom,  if  ever,  had 
they  listened  to  an  appeal  that  carried  with  it  such  force 
and  conviction,  yet  at  the  same  time  they  felt  their  utter 
inability  to  respond  to  it.  Not  only  so,  but  they  said  that 
the  expenditure  must  be  still  further  reduced  if  there 
was  not  a  large  advance  in  the  liberality  of  the  churches. 

To  this  Mr.  Jewett  replied  in  April,  1856.  He  de- 
plored the  condition  of  the  churches  at  home  that  could 
tolerate  the  idea  of  retrenching  their  foreign  mission 
work.  "  Oh,  Father,  forgive  the  churches ! "  he  ex- 
claimed. "  To  rob  God's  treasury  is  not  to  distress  mis- 
sionaries pecuniarily,  but  it  is  a  robbery  of  souls — shutting 


THE    I.ONE   STAR.  55 

away  eternally  the  gift  of  life.  The  missionary  must  part 
with  what  he  loves  far  more  than  any  earthly  boon,  yet 
Christians  at  home  refuse  the  help  they  could  so  easily 
give.  The  very  idea  of  retrenchment  is  hostile  to  every- 
thing that  deserves  the  name  of  missionary.  Satan  says : 
'  Stop  giving ; '  Jesus  says  :  '  Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and 
preach  the  gospel.' " 

In  November  of  this  year,  the  mission  suffered  a 
grievous  loss  in  the  death  of  the  faithful,  devoted  colpor- 
teur and  preaclier,  Christian  Nursu.  In  the  room  where 
the  writer  now  sits,  a  little  company  of  Christians  gath- 
ered around  the  dying  Chi'istian.  Nursu  assured  them 
that  all  was  well,  and  although  the  monsoon  storm  raged 
without,  all  was  peace  and  calm  within.  "  The  same 
truths,"  said  Nursu,  "  that  I  have  preached  to  others,  are 
now  my  joy  and  support."  And  thus  in  the  triumph  of 
Christian  faith  his  soul  passed  from  earth  to  heaven. 

The  mission  could  ill  afford  to  lose  the  service  of  so 
valuable  a  helper ;  but  to  witness  such  a  triumphant  death 
was  worth  all  the  sacrifices  that  had  been  made  and  labor 
expended  to  secure  it.  It  was  an  inspiration  to  those 
who  witnessed  it.  How  many  were  saved  by  Nursu's 
life  no  one  can  tell,  but,  by  his  death,  at  least  one  man 
for  whom  he  had  earnestly  labored  was  led  to  give  him- 
self to  Christ. 

By  1857,  the  boarding  and  day  schools  had  made  con- 
siderable progress.  In  the  case  of  day  scholars,  the  prac- 
tice of  paying  the  parents  a  small  sum  of  money  to  induce 
them  to  send  their  children  to  school,  was  still  in  voiruc. 
In  our  day  this  would  be  regarded  as  a  very  doubtful 
policy,  and  it  is  a  question  whether  it  ever  v^s,  on  the 


b6  HISTORY    OF    THE    TELUGU    .MISSIOX. 

whole,  a  wise  one.  The  reasoDs  for  adopting  it  were  first, 
the  extreme  poverty  of  the  people,  requiring  them  to  put 
their  children  out  to  work  as  soon  as  they  could  earn  two 
or  three  farthings  a  day  at  cooly  work  ;  second,  their 
total  ignorance  of  the  value  of  education ;  and  third,  the 
desire  of  the  missionaries  to  impress  the  children  with  the 
truths  of  Christianity.  On  the  other  hand,  it  may  well  be 
questioned  whether  this  practice  did  not  foster  the  con- 
viction, almost  universal  among  the  natives,  that  anything 
and  everything  done  to  gratify  the  missionary  ought  to  be 
paid  for.  That  the  mission  treasury  might  not  be  charged 
with  this  expense,  a  "  Juvenile  Benevolent  Society  "  was 
organized.  The  children  w^re  taught  to  sew  and  make 
their  own  clothes.  A  sale  of  the  articles  made  was  held 
and  a  considerable  sum  realized.  Still,  the  money  paid  to 
the  parents  came  from  the  missionary,  and  it  mattered  not 
to  them  w^here  nor  how  the  missionary  got  it.  But  whether 
the  practice  was  wise  or  otherwise,  it  has  long  since  been 
abandoned. 

Early  in  this  year  (1857),  Mr.  Douglass  and  family  re- 
moved to  Madras  owing  to  the  ill  health  of  Mrs.  Doug- 
lass. This  was  the  year  of  the  terrible  Sepoy  mutiny,  and 
although  Nellore  was  far  remote  from  the  scene  of  actual 
war,  yet  all  India  was  more  or  less  disturbed,  at  least  by 
rumors  of  impending  danger.  Hence,  acting  on  the  ad- 
vice of  friends,  Mr.  Jewett  and  family  also  removed  to 
Madras  in  August  and  remained  till  January,  1858,  w^hen 
both  missionaries  returned  to  Nellore.  Thirteen  were 
baptized  that  3'ear,  the  largest  number  yet  received  in  any 
one  year. 

The  death  of  Jacob,  a  faithful  and  efficient  helper,  and 


THE    LONK   SIAR.  57 

a  number  of  exclusions  from  the  church,  caused  much 
sorrow.  But  these  reverses  were  followed  by  a  precious 
work  of  grace,  and  the  baptism  of  six  converts.  Among 
them  was  a  girl  named  Maha-Lukshumanuiiah,  who  after- 
ward became  the  wife  of  Rungiah,  now  the  head  assistant 
of  the  missionary  in  Perambore,  Madras. 

In  1860,  Mr.  and  IMrs.  JcAvett,  their  daughters  Addie 
and  liattie,  and  Canakiah  spent  three  mouths  in  Ongole, 
from  January  to  April.  It  was  at  this  time  that  Mr. 
Jewett  negotiated  for  the  house  and  land  which  became 
the  mission  bungalow  and  compound.  He  did  not  know 
where  the  money  was  to  come  from,  nor  who  would  occupy 
the  house,  but  he  believed  that  the  prediction  he  had 
made  in  1854,  on  the  hill  top,  would  be  ftilfilled,  and 
that  God  would  send  the  money  and  the  man  too.  So 
the  house  was  bought,  and  Mr.  Jewett,  after  asking  the 
money  from  the  Lord,  wrote  to  a  friend  and  classmate  at 
home  about  the  matter.  When  the  letter  was  received, 
the  friend  had  just  been  considering  what  to  do  with  a 
sum  he  wished  to  invest  in  the  Lord's  work/  He  imme- 
diately sent  it  to  Mr.  Jew^ett,  and  it  was  just  sufficient  to 
purchase  the  house  and  land,  and  make  some  necessary 
repairs. 

It  was  also  during  this  stay  at  Ongole  that  Mr.  Jewett 
baptized  the  first  convert  in  Ongole.  His  name  was 
Obulu,  who  became  and  remained  a  faithful  preacher  till 
his  death,  in  1880. 

After  thirteen  years  of  earnest  and  faithful  labor,  in 
what  many  regarded  as  a  fruitless  and  almost  hopeless 
effort  to  establish  a  mission  at  Nellore,  Mr.  Jewett's  health 
broke  down  in  1862,  and  he  and  his  family  were  obliged 


58  HISTORY    OF    THE   TELUGLT    MISSION. 

to  return  home.  Being  obliged  to  relinquish  his  much- 
loved  work  was  a  great  grief.  He  said  :  "  The  trial  of 
leaving  home  in  the  first  place  was  less  than  nothing  com- 
pared with  that  of  leaving  the  mission  field  to  return." 

Mr.  Douglass  was  thus  left  alone  in  charge  of  the 
mission.  He  continued  preaching  in  the  chapel  and  in 
the  streets  of  Nellore  and  touring  among  the  villages 
with  great  earnestness,  and  with  some  measure  of  success. 

During  the  summer  of  1863,  Mr.  Douglass'  health 
broke  down,  and  he  with  his  family  went  to  Coromandel, 
by  the  sea,  where  they  remained  several  months.  Soon 
after  his  return  to  Nellor  ■,  he  baptized  four  converts,  to 
whom  he  thus  refers :  ''  As  I  stood  in  the  water,  and  these 
trophies  of  a  Saviour's  love  came  down  one  after  another 
into  the  water,  my  heart  said,  amen ;  the  heathen  shall 
yet  come  in  crowds.  Many  Brahmans  were  spectators. 
The  scene  will  not  be  forgotten  on  earth,  and  I  trust  will 
not  be  disowned  in  heaven." 

In  1864,  a  new  departure  in  the  line  of  itinerating  was 
made.  Up  to  that  time  the  native  preachers  had  not 
engaged  in  this  work,  except  as  they  accompanied  the 
missionary.  Now  they  were  sent  out  alone.  In  September 
of  that  year,  a  number  of  them  made  a  tour  among  the 
villages  in  the  region  of  Ongole.  They  were  gone  about 
two  months,  and  brought  back  a  most  encouraging  report 
of  the  work  in  that  neighborhood. 

For  want  of  money  this  work  had  to  be  suspended,  and 
that  too,  at  just  the  time  when  the  missionary  could  join 
in  it.  This  was  a  painful  experience.  With  the  language 
at  his  command,  the  people  ready  to  hear,  a  few  able  and 
faithful  helpers  eager  for   the   work,   and   the   weather 


THE    LONE   STAR.  69 

favorable  for  traveling,  to  be  kept  in  the  station  for  want 
of  money  was  very  trying,  indeed.  But  there  was  no  help 
for  it,  for  mission  work  cannot  be  carried  on  without 
money. 

The  schools  at  this  time  were  in  a  most  hopeful  condi- 
tion. The  annual  examinations  proved  that  good  and 
faithful  work  had  been  done.  And  better  still,  the  Spirit 
of  God  was  among  them,  and  four  or  five  were  hopefully 
converted.  The  baptizing  of  these  converts  closed  Mr. 
Douglass'  mission  work,  and  he  left  for  home  in  April, 
1865. 


CHAPTER  V. 

FAITH  REWARDED. 

The  question  of  abandoning  the  mission  again  presented.  Mr.  Clough  joins 
Mr.  Jewett.  Encouragements  in  the  tvork.  A  visit  to  Ongole.  Conversion 
ofPeriah.  His  earnestness  in  the  work  of  making  Christ  known.  Mr. 
Jewett's  appeal  for  two  mure  men.  The  in-gathering  at  Tullakoudapaud. 
Depletion  at  Nellore. 

AT  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Missionary  Union  held 
in  Providence,  in  18G2,  the  question  "Shall  tlie 
Telugu  mission  be  abiindoned  ? "  came  up  for  the  third 
and  last  time.  A  resolution  recommending  its  abandon- 
ment was  offered,  and  its  passage  urgently  demanded.  It 
would  no  doubt  have  passed,  but  for  the  influence  of  th.e 
corresponding  secretary,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Warren,  who  plead 
that  the  question  might  be  deferred  until  the  arrival  of 
Mr.  Jewett,  who  was  then  on  his  way  home.  This  was 
reluctantly  agreed  to,  and  it  was  virtually  the  settlement 
of  that  oft-repeated  question,  for  when  Mr.  Jewett  arrived, 
he  simply  declined  to  entertain  any  proposition  to  aban- 
don the  mission.  He  had  spent  thirteen  years  among  a 
people  he  had  loved,  had  already  gathered  some  precious 
fruit,  and  had  strong  faitli  that  "  tlie  Lord  had  much 
people "  among  the  Telugus.  He  told  the  Executive 
Committee,  in  the  most  emphatic  terms,  of  his  determina- 
tion never  to  give  up  the  Telugu  Mission.  If  the  Union 
declined  to  aid  him,  he  would  go  back  alone,  and  live  and, 
if  need  be,  die  among  the  Telugus.  Such  courage,  faith, 
60 


FAITH   REWAKDED.  61 

and  determixiation  were  not  to  be  resisted ;  hence  it  was 
resolved  to  return  him,  if  health  was  restored,  and  a  new 
man  with  him. 

Mr.  Jewett,  accompanied  by  the  Rev.  Jolm  E.  Clough 
and  wife,  sailed  from  Boston,  November  30, 1864 ;  reached 
Madras,  March  2G,  and  Nellore,  April  22,  1865.  Mrs. 
Jewett  remained  at  home  on  account  of  her  children  un- 
til December  5,  1865,  when  she  sailed  from  Boston  and 
joined  her  husband  April  26,  1866. 

After  getting  settled  in  their  new  home,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Clough  commenced  the  study  of  Telugu,  and  early  began 
to  make  use  of  the  few  words  they  had  learned,  in  speak- 
ing to  tlie  people  about  the  great  salvation.  Their  zeal 
and  success  in  Nellore  were  an  indication  of  their  greater 
work  and  more  abundant  success  in  the  field  God  was 
preparing  for  them  at  Ongole. 

Soon  after  the  missionaries  arrived  in  Nellore,  an 
earnest  spirit  seemed  to  pervade  the  mission.  The  mis- 
sionaries began  to  predict  large  ingatherings  in  the  near 
future.  On  the  first  Sunday  in  November,  Mr.  Clough 
baptized  four  converts,  which  greatly  encouraged  both 
the  missionaries  and  the  little  church  which  had  strug- 
gled so  long  against  adverse  circumstances.  One  of  these 
converts  was  a  lad  of  much  promise  connected  with  the 
boarding  school.  The  others  were  women  with  families, 
two  of  whom  were  notorious  for  their  bad  characters  and 
opposition  to  Christianity. 

The  missionaries  sent  home  an  urgent  appeal  for  two 
more  men.  One  of  these  was  to  be  stationed  at  Alloor, 
eighteen  miles  north  of  Nellore,  and  one  at  Ramapatam, 
forty-five  miles  north  of  Nellore.     Although  Mr.  Clough 


62  HISTORY   OP    THE    TEI^UGU    iAIISSTON. 

had  been  designated  to  Ongole,  he  expressed  a  readiness 
to  go  to  either  of  these  new  stations.  But  subsequent 
events  will  show  that  God  had  arranged  all  that. 

In  March,  1866,  Mr.  and  jNIrs.  Jewett,  Mr.  Clough  and 
Canakiah  made  a  visit  to  Ongole,  having  special  reference 
to  seeing  Periah,  who  wanted  to  see  the  raissionaries  and 
to  be  baptized.  He  was  not  in  Ongole,  as  had  been  ex- 
pected, but  returned  in  a  few  days.  So  eager,  indeed,  was 
he  do  this  that  he  left  a  meal  unfinished,  at  which  he  was 
seated  when  the  intelligence  of  the  arrival  of  the  mission- 
aries came  to  him.  In  relating  his  experience,  Periah  said  : 
"  Four  years  ago,  I  w^ent  north  to  Ellore,  and  there  heard 
for  the  first  time  the  gospel  from  Mr.  Alexander,  of  the 
Church  Mission.  After  that  I  went  to  Palacole,  and 
heard  from  Mr.  Bowden,  and  saw  the  native  Christians. 
After  my  return,  the  Lord  enlightened  my  mind,  and  I 
began  laboring  for  the  conversion  of  my  family.  After 
eighteen  months,  my  wife  was  converted,  and  several 
others  Avere  awakened." 

This  simple  recitation  of  God's  dealings  with  this  man, 
belonging  to  a  class  almost  too  degraded  to  be  despised, 
unable  to  read  a  word,  and  yet  giving  such  a  clear  testi- 
mony, made  a  deep  impression  on  the  missionaries.  The 
simplicity  of  his  story,  the  sincerity  of  his  faith,  and  the 
ardor  of  his  love,  all  testified  to  the  saving  power  of  God's 
grace. 

His  wife,  in  the  same  spirit  of  simplicity,  faith,  and  love, 
told  the  artless  story  of  her  conversion.  "These,"  said 
Mr.  Jewett,  "  were  some  of  the  happiest  moments  of  my 
life.  I  was  ready  in  a  moment  to  baptize  them."  The 
little  company  proceeded  to  a  tank  about  two  miles  off, 


FAITH    RLWAKDED.  63 

and  there  as  the  sun  was  setting,  the  two  happy  converts 
were  baptized.  These  were  the  first  converts  from  the 
Madagas — the  class  from  which  the  great  mass  of  the 
Ongole  Christians  have  come. 

Peri  ah  made  the  most  of  his  opportunity,  while  the 
missionaries  were  in  Ongole,  to  get  all  the  knowledge  he 
could  about  the  new  religion,  for  he  was  anxious  to  become 
a  witness  for  Christ.  In  course  of  time,  he  became  an 
earnest  minister  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  is  still  the  patriarch 
of  the  Ongole  preachers. 

Two  months  later,  Canakiah,  Rungiah,  and  Rungashia, 
three  Nellore  native  preachers,  went  on  a  preaching  tour 
to  the  northwest,  to  a  territory  including  Periah's  village. 
They  were  greatly  astonished  to  find  Periah  burning  with 
zeal  for  the  souls  of  his  fellow-men.  It  stirred  them  up 
greatly  to  find  him  far  ahead  of  themselves  in  his  desire  to 
preach.  He  used  to  stir  them  up  long  before  daybreak  to 
go  to  villages  at  a  distance.  The  weather  was  at  its  hot- 
test, and  Periah  would  carry  a  great  pot  of  buttermilk  on 
his  head  for  the  preachers  to  drink  when  thirsty.  These 
labors  were  greatly  blessed,  and  when  the  preachers  re- 
turned to  Nellore,  they  reported  that  probably  two  hundred 
people  in  the  region  around  Tullakondapaud  were  believ- 
ing in  Christ.  From  that  time  on  Mr.  Clough  became 
impatient  till  he  was  permitted  to  proceed  to  Ongole. 

After  returning  from  Ongole,  Mr.  Jewett  baptized 
three  converts  in  Nellore.  One  was  the  only  surviving 
son  of  Christian  Nursu,  already  spoken  of.  The  second 
was  a  Tamil  woman,  formerly  of  Madras,  who  had  been  an 
immoral  character ;  for  several  months,  she  had  attended 
the  chapel,  and  after  a  time  manifested  a  deep  abhorrence 


64     *  HISTORY    OF   THE   TELUGIT    MISSIOX. 

of  her  past  life,  frequently  rose  for  prayers,  and  at  last 
found  peace  in  believing  in  Christ.  The  other  convert 
was  a  pupil  of  the  boarding  school. 

In  concluding  his  annual  report  for  1866,  Mr.  Jewett 
expresses  an  earnest  wish  that  the  Bjard  would  keep  in 
mind  the  appeal  for  two  men,  one  for  Alloor  and  one  for 
Ramapatam.  This  he  said  would  by  no  means  supply 
the  demands  of  so  vast  a  field,  but  it  would  give  a  line  of 
stations  from  Nellore  to  Ongole,  and  would  be  a  good 
beginning  toward  what  eventually  must  be  done. 

The  year  1867  was  one  of  great  blessings.  Mr.  Clough 
had  removed  to  Ongole  the  previous  year,  and  the  first  in- 
gathering had  taken  place  at  Tullakondapaud.  Refer- 
ring to  that  event,  Mr.  Jewett  wrote:  "I  am  glad  Mr. 
Clough  is  in  possession  of  ample  means,  and  what  is  better 
still,  that  he  has  found  a  field  ripe  for  the  harvest.  Are  you 
not  now  glad  that  we  tugged  so  hard  to  get  a  footing  in 
Ongole  ?     Has  not  God  put  honor  on  native  agency  ?  " 

A  severe  blow  fell  on  the  mission  at  this  time  in  the 
death  of  Venkataswamy,  a  valuable  helper  in  Nellore. 
He  was  bookkeeper,  Sunday-school  teacher,  and  preacher 
all  in  one,  and  his  loss  seemed  almost  irreparable.  He  was 
taken  ill  with  cholera  January  13,  and  died  the  same 
night.  He  was  one  of  the  brightest  trophies  of  redeeming 
grace  that  had  yet  been  won  in  the  Telugu  Mission,  and 
his  end  was  peaceful  and  glorious  beyond  expression.  But 
his  departure  for  the  better  world  left  a  sad  vacancy  in 
the  mission. 

This  sad  event,  together  with  the  withdrawal  of  laborers 
to  the  Ongole  field,  drove  the  little  band  at  Nellore  to 
make  the  most  of  what  remained  :  and  committing  all  to 


FAITH    REWARDED.  65 

him  who  is  able  to  make  possible  the  greatest  results 
from  the  smallest  means,  they  labored  on  in  faith.  A 
special  effort  was  made  to  arouse  the  church  to  the  import- 
ance of  every  member  doing  his  best  to  make  Christ 
known  all  around.  The  result  was  the  accession  of  ten 
precious  converts. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

BRANCHING   OUT. 

Large  accessions  to  the  mission.  Increased  prosperity.  Mrs.  Jewett's  return 
home.  Arrival  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Downie  at  Nellore.  Policy  regarding  new 
missionaries.  Mastering  the  language  sufficient  work  at  first.  A  devastat- 
jng  flood  at  Nellore.  Loss  and  privation  at  the  compound.  Rebuilding  by 
timely  aid.  Excellence  of  the  work.  Increased  attendance  at  the  schools. 
The  famine  year.  First  converts  from  the  farmer  caste.  The  story  of 
Ramiah.  Conversion  and  education.  Struggle  as  to  field  of  labor.  His 
triumph  a;iiong  his  people.  A  new  chapel  at  Nellore.  Its  corner-stone 
from  a  Hindu  temple.  Visit  of  Dr.  S.  F.  Smith  and  wife  at  Nellore.  Re- 
spite for  the  missionaries.  A  new  girls'  seminary.  Additions  to  the  work- 
ing force.  Visit  of  Dr.  Ashmore.  Mrs.  Dowuie's  return  to  America.  Visit 
of  Dr.  Mabie.    Profound  impression  and  usefulness. 

nf'^HE  Rev.  A.  V.  Timpany  and  wife  joined  the  mission 
J_  at  Nellore  in  May,  1868.  Here  they  remained 
studying  tie  language  and  assisting  Mr.  Jewett  till  Feb- 
ruary, 1870,  when  they  removed  to  Ramapatam.  The 
Rev.  Jno.  McLaurin  and  wife  arrived  in  Madras,  Febru- 
ary 11,  1870,  and  proceeded  at  once  to  Ramapatam.  The 
Rev.  E.  Bui  lard  also  joined  the  mission  that  year,  reach- 
ing Nellore  in  November.  He  was  the  first  of  our  mis- 
sionaries to  come  out  via  the  Suez  Canal.  A  fuller  ac- 
count of  these  brethren  will  be  found  in  connection 
with  the  stations  that  formed  the  scene  of  their  labors. 

By  the  end  of  1870,  the  number    of  church-members 

was  one  hundred  and  eighty-three,  with  fifty  pupils  in  the 

training  school.     There  were  seven  out-stations,  with  an 

aggregate  attendance  of  one  hundred.     The  government 

66 


BRANCHING    OUT.  67 

grant-in-aid  to  these  schools  was  two  hundred  and  eighty- 
eight  rupees,  showing  a  marked  increase  over  all  preceding 
years.  It  is  due  to  Mrs.  Jewett  to  say  that  much  of  this 
prosperity  was  owing  to  her  indefatigable  efforts,  espe- 
cially in  connection  with  school  work.  It  seemed,  there- 
fore, little  other  than  an  adverse  providence,  when  in 
1869  she  was  obliged  to  leave  her  husband  and  the  work 
she  loved  so  well,  and  return  home  in  the  interests  of  her 
children.  Thanks  to  the  Woman's  Board,  such  painful 
experiences,  if  not  entirely  removed,  are  at  least  consider- 
ably modified  by  the  excellent  "  Home "  at  Newton 
Centre. 

After  Mrs.  Jewett's  departure.  Dr.  Jewett  labored  on 
alone  till  April,  1874,  when  he  left  Nellore  to  find  a  much- 
needed  rest  at  home. 

The  Rev.  D.  Downie  and  wife  were  designated  to  the 
Telugu  mission,  February  25,  1873,  and  arrived  in  Nel- 
lore,  December  10th  of  that  year.  Mr.  Downie  relieved 
Dr.  Jewett  of  his  station,  January  1,  1874,  and  of  the 
mission  treasury  in  March.  It  was  no  easy  task  for  the 
young  missionaries  to  take  up  the  work  of  a  veteran  be- 
fore they  had  been  in  V^e  country  two  months.  The 
policy  of  giving  new  missionaries  at  least  the  first  year 
free  from  all  responsibility,  except  that  of  studying  the 
language,  is  a  wise  one  which  should  be  departed  from 
only  in  very  exceptional  cases.  To  be  thrust  into  the 
charge  of  a  large  station  before  a  good  start  in  the  lan- 
guage has  been  made,  is  a  wrong  first  to  the  man,  second 
to  the  mission,  and  third  to  the  Union.  It  is  a  wrong  to 
the  man,  because  the  chances  are  either  that  he  will  at- 
tempt to  do  his  work  through  an  interpreter,  a  crutch 


68  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

which  he  will  find  difficult  to  lay  aside  while  the  pressure 
of  work  continues  ;  or  he  will  acquire  a  slovenly  style  of 
speech,  half  English  and  half  Telugu.  It  is  a  wrong  to 
the  mission,  for  other  things  being  equal,  a  man  is  useful 
to  the  mission  in  proportion  to  his  thorough  knowledge  of 
the  language  of  the  people.  It  is  a  wrong  to  the  Union, 
because  bj  assumption  of  burdens  he  is  unable  to  carry, 
at  the  very  outset  of  his  career  a  missionary  is  very  liable 
to  injure  his  health  and  prematurely  break  down.  The 
other  extreme  of  doing  absolutely  nothing  the  first  year 
or  two  but  study,  is  by  no  means  justified  by  what  has 
just  been  said.  Such  cases  are  not  altogether  unknown, 
but  fortunately  they  are  rare.  There  is  much  a  new  man 
can  do  and  ought  to  do  the  first  year  besides  study,  but  it 
should  be  as  an  assistant  without  responsibility,  and 
subordinate  to  his  chief  work  of  acquiring  the  language. 
In  October,  1874,  a  devastating  flood,  the  greatest 
Nellore  had  ever  known  up  to  that  time,  visited  the  town, 
carrying  ruin  and  desolation  in  its  course.  By  the  breach- 
ing of  the  Pennar  river,  which  flows  about  half  a  mile 
north  of  the  mission  compound,  the  course  of  the  river 
was  changed,  and  for  three  days  it  rushed  through  the  com- 
pound. The  houses  were  built  of  mud,  and  crumbled  down 
one  after  the  other,  leaving  the  sticks  and  straw  floating 
around.  As  the  huts  in  the  neighboring  hamlet  were  de- 
stroyed, many  of  the  people.  Christian  and  heathen,  came 
to  the  missionaries  for  shelter,  carrying  all  their  earthly 
possessions  on  their  heads.  The  men  we  admitted  into 
the  chapel,  the  women  and  children  being  cared  for  in 
the  west  end  of  the  bungalow.  For  three  days  all  waited 
the  subsiding  of  the  waters.     The  missionarks  had  no 


BRANCHING   OUT.  69 

stores  of  supplies,  and  only  one  chicken  on  hand.  The 
third  day  of  the  flood  the  only  loaf  of  bread  in  town  was 
brought  to  them  by  the  kind-hearted  baker,  who,  though 
a  heathen  outwardly,  had  for  years  given  evidence  of  be- 
ing a  Christian  at  heart.  For  a  while  after  the  flood, 
little  could  be  done  but  remove  debris  and  rebuild.  In 
the  compound,  only  the  bungaloAV,  chapel,  and  girls'  school- 
house  remained  standing,  the  last  two  in  a  damaged 
condition,  necessitating  speedy  removal.  These  were  dark 
days. 

In  response  to  an  appeal  for  a  new  girls'  school,  the 
Woman's  Board  of  Boston  sent  two  thousand  three  hun- 
dred dollars.  With  this  and  a  government  grant-in-aid 
of  three  thousand  rupees,  the  present  schoolhouse  and 
dormitories  were  erected  in  1876.  The  opening  services 
were  attended  by  nearly  all  the  European  and  Eurasian 
people  of  Nellore,  together  with  our  own  native  Chris- 
tians. The  collector  of  the  district  presided  and  delivered 
a  most  kind  and  encouraging  address.  One  of  the  girls 
read  a  portion  of  Scripture  in  Telugu,  and  the  singing  by 
the  school  gave  much  pleasure  and  satisfaction  to  all. 
The  building  was  pronounced  by  government  to  be  "  a 
most  suitable  and  substantial  building." 

With  the  enlarged  and  improved  accommodations,  the 
number  of  girls  was  greatly  increased.  There  were  thirty 
girls  in  the  boarding  school,  and  a  considerable  number 
of  day  scholars.  Two  years  before  it  was  w^ith  difiiculty 
that  even  Christian  parents  could  be  induced  to  send 
their  children  to  school ;  now  many  applications  for  ad- 
mission had  to  be  refused.  There  was  also  at  this  time  a 
great  demand  for  village  schools ;  but  suitable  Christian 


70  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

teachers  were  hard  to  find,  and  there  was  no  money  to 
spend  on  viUage  schools  taught  by  heathen  teachers. 
Where  suitable  teachers  could  be  found  schools  were 
maintained. 

The  year  1877  is  memorable  as  the  year  when  the  great 
famine  began.  As  the  famine  extended  over  the  larger 
part  of  the  mission  territory,  and  engaged  so  large  a 
portion  of  the  missionaries'  time  in  nearly  all  the  stations, 
and  was  in  fact  the  most  important  item  of  the  mission's 
history  during  two  years,  it  will  be  treated  in  a  separate 
chapter. 

When  the  writer  first  came  to  Nellore,  Dr.  Jewett  called 
his  attention  to  three  young  men  of  the  Reddi,  or  farmer 
caste,  living  at  Razupalem,  one  of  the  out-stations  of 
Nellore,  who,  he  said,  if  not  already  Christians,  he  believed 
would  some  day  come  to  Christ :  and  then  he  added,  his 
eyes  gleaming  with  delight  at  the  thought,  "  When  we 
get  the  Reddis,  brother  Downie,  our  mission  w'.li  be 
made."  Four  years  after  the  conversation,  the  youngest 
of  the  brothers  was  baptized.  He  is  a  strong-built  man 
over  six  feet  in  height,  and  with  a  passion  for  knowledge 
not  often  seen.  It  was  a  struggle  for  him  to  throw  oflfthe 
shackles  of  caste,  and  leave  his  family.  For  three  days, 
his  people  hung  around  trying  to  persuade  him  to  return : 
"  Just  for  one  day  to  comfort  his  weeping  family,"'  s  )  tliey 
said.  But  their  intention  was  to  burn  with' red-hot  gold  the 
tongue  that  had  confessed  Christ.  Ramiah,  that  is  the 
young  man's  name,  took  his  place  in  school,  sitting  on  the 
same  bench  with  boys  scarcely  reaching  his  waist,  and 
began  his  studies.  In  due  time  he  passed  from  the  station 
school  to  the  seminary.  When  he  graduated,  the  question 


BRANCHING   OUT.  71 

wliere  he  should  labor  came  up.  The  missionary  had  a 
firm  conviction  that  Ramiah's  field  of  labor  should  be  his 
own  village,  and  among  his  own  people.  Then  ensued  a 
struggle  which  neither  the  missionary  nor  Ramiah  is 
likely  to  forget.  To  live  in  the  mission  compound  sur- 
rounded by  Christian  friends,  was  one  thing ;  but  to  go 
and  live  in  his  own  village,  and  among  his  own  people,  who 
now  regarded  him  as  an  out-caste  or  Pariah,  was  a  very 
different  thing.  After  a  good  deal  of  discussion,  he  finally 
consented  to  go.  He  was  gone  about  ten  days,  but  re- 
turned, and  said  he  could  not  stand  it.  His  friends  abused 
him  and  entreated  him :  "  Is  it  not,"  they  said, "  enough  that 
you  should  disgrace  us  by  leaving  your  caste,  without 
coming  here  to  remind  us  daily  of  our  disgrace  ?  Go,  live 
where  you  like,  but  let  us  not  be  put  to  shame  by  your 
presence  among  us."  It  did  seem  like  a  hard  case,  and 
for  a  time  the  missionary  was  half  inclined  to  yield  ;  but 
he  well  knew  that  if  he  did,  Ramiah's  influence  among 
the  caste  people  would  be  forever  gone.  He  prayed  over  it, 
and  got  Ramiah  to  pray  over  it ;  reasoned,  counselled,  and 
encouraged,  and  finally  said  :  "  Ramiah,  you  must  go  to 
Razupalem,  and  live.  You  may  save  your  people.  God 
seems  to  me  to  call  you  there,  and  there  you  must  go." 
Ramiah  said  he  could  not,  and  would  not.  Again  he 
was  urged  to  pray  over  it.  Two  days  later  he  came  with 
a  smiling,  but  determined  face,  and  said,  "  I'll  go  to  Razu- 
palem and  live  or  die,  as  the  case  may  be."  He  went, 
and  when  his  people  saw  his  determination  to  live  among 
them,  and  labor  for  their  spiritual  good,  all  opposition 
immediately  disappeared,  and  so  far  from  abusing  liim,they 
have  ever  since  treated  him  and  his  family  with  kindness. 


72  HISTORY    OF   THE   TELUGU    MISSION. 

Ramiah  has  gathered  around  him, a  flourishiDg  little  con- 
gregation, and  though  none  of  the  caste  people  have  as 
yet  believed,  they  listen  respectfully  to  the  word  preached, 
and  there  is  every  reason  to  hope  that  they  will  yet  turn 
to  Christ  in  large  numbers. 

For  forty  years  the  thatch-covered  zayat  built  by  Mr. 
Day  had  done  good  service  as  the  "  Lone  Star  "  place  of 
worship.  But  it  had  long  ceased  to  be  suitable  or  worthy 
of  the  mission.  About  the  close  of  1879,  Mr.  Clough, 
while  on  a  visit  to  Nellore,  said  to  the  missionary  :  "  If 
you  build  a  chapel  that  will  accommodate  five  hundred 
people,  I  will  give  toward  it  a  hundred  rupees."  This 
was  precisely  what  the  missionary  wanted.  A  subscrip- 
tion book  was  opened,  headed  by  a  liberal  subscription 
from  J.  Grose,  Esq.,  collector  of  the  district.  A  number 
of  the  missionaries  followed  with  one  hundred  rupees  each. 
The  native  Christians  of  Nellore  gave  to  the  full  extent 
of  their  ability.  In  this  way  enough  was  raised  to  lay 
the  foundations. 

On  the  29th  of  December,  1879,  the  corner-stone  was 
laid  with  appropriate  ceremonies.  The  stone  had  been 
dug  from  the  ruins  of  a  Hindu  temple,  and  in  the  recep- 
tacle, which  once  contained  the  emblems  of  idolatry,  were 
placed  a  copy  of  the  Telugu  Bible,  the  "  Telugu  Baptist," 
and  copies  of  our  American  denominational  papers.  Dr. 
Jewett,  Messrs.  Clough,  Williams,  and  others  were  present. 
The  ceremony  of  laying  the  stone  was  performed  by  J. 
Grose,  Esq.,  collector  of  the  district.  Here  the  work 
stopped  for  Avant  of  funds  for  nearly  a  year,  when  enough 
was  in  hand  to  raise  the  walls.  Again  the  work  had  to 
stop.     The  time  was  approaching  when  the  missionary 


BRANCHING   OUT.  73 

would  have  to  go  home,  but  he  could  not  bear  the  thought 
of  leaviug  the  chapel  in  its  unfinished  state.  Some  ad- 
vised him  to  borrow  the  money,  and  trust  to  getting  it  at 
home,  but  that  he  did  not  like  to  do.  The  matter  was 
laid  before  the  Lord,  and  in  due  time  an  appropriation 
of  one  thousand  five  hundred  dollars  came  from  the  Exec- 
utive Committee,  and  thus  the  chapel  was  completed,  and 
dedicated  the  Sunday  before  the  missionary  left  Nellore. 
The  cost  of  the  chapel  was  nine  thousand  four  hundred 
and  sixty-eight  rupees. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  events  of  this  period  was 
the  visit  of  the  Rev.  S.  F.  Smith,  D.  D.,  and  wife.  The 
profound  interest  Dr.  Smith  has  had  in  the  mission 
almost  from  its  origin  made  this  visit  one  of  pecidiar  interest 
and  pleasure.  Dr.  Smith  has  published  his  experiences 
in  the  Telugu  Mission  in  his  "  Rambles  in  ^lission  Fields," 
and  to  that  very  excellent  little  volume  we  refer  our 
readers  for  a  racy  and  most  interesting  account  of  his 
impressions  of  the  work  at  Nellore  and  elsewhere. 

The  Rev.  J.  F.  Burditt  was  transferred  from  Ongole  to 
Nellore  in  April,  1882,  to  relieve  Mr.  Downie  who,  with 
his  family,  sailed  from  Madras  on  the  16th  of  the  same 
month  for  the  United  States.  Mr.  Bur<iitt  carried  on  the 
work  till  Mr.  Downie's  return,  October  13, 188-4,  when  he 
removed  to  Udayagiri. 

While  at  home,  Mr.  Downie  received  from  Mr.  "William 
Buckuell,  of  Philadelphia,  three  thousand  five  hundred  dol- 
lai*s  fur  the  erection  of  a  girls'  seminary  in  Xellore.  This 
building  was  completed  in  1886.  The  school  has  a  three- 
fold object.  1.  A  Bible  school  for  the  training  of  Bible 
women.     2.  A  normal  school  for  the  training  of  teachers. 


74  HISTORY    OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

3.  An  industrial  school  for  instruction  in  useful  occupa- 
tions. The  school  has  no  appropriations  from  the  Society. 
The  students  earn  their  own  board  and  clothes.  The  aim 
is  not  only  to  make  the  school  entirely  self-supporting, 
but  also  to  aid  in  supporting  the  other  station  schools. 

Miss  Jennie  E.  Wayte  arrived  in  Nellore,  October  13, 
1884,  in  company  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Downie.  She  was 
designated  by  the  Woman's  Board  of  Boston  to  Bible  and 
Zenana  work  in  Nellore.  She  also  has  charge  of  the 
girls'  and  boys'  schools,  and  indeed  she,  like  every  other 
good  missionary,  is  ready  to  do  cheerfully  and  with  her 
might  what  her  hands  find  to  do. 

The  Eev.  J.  Heinrichs  arrived  in  Madras,  November 
1,  1889,  designated  to  Vinukonda.  But  in  anticipation 
of  Mrs.  Downie's  return  home,  the  Executive  Committee 
authorized  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Heinrichs  to  proceed  to  Nellore, 
and  there  spend  the  first  year  in  the  study  of  Telugu. 
This  gave  ^Ir.  Heinrichs  exceptionally  good  advantages 
in  acquiring  the  language,  and  at  the  same  time  enabled 
him  to  render  valuable  assistance  in  the  work  at  Nellore. 

Dr.  Ash  more,  then  Home  Secretary  of  the  Missionary 
Union,  paid  a  visit  to  the  mission  in  the  early  part  of 
1890.  He  arrived  first  in  Madras  and  then  proceeded  to 
Secunderabad,  thence  through  Guntur  to  Bapatla  and 
Ongole.  Here  a  special  meeting  of  the  missionaries  was 
called  to  meet  him.  From  January  9th  to  14th  a  de- 
lightful time  was  spent  in  consultation  respecting  the 
needs  of  the  mission,  and  in  prayer  and  conference.  On 
Sunday,  Dr.  Ashmore  preached  through  an  interpreter  to 
a  large  congregation  of  native  people,  and  in  the  evening 
to  a  goodly  company  in  English.     It  was  arranged  that 


BRANX'HING   OUT.  75 

Dr.  Ashmore  should  accompany  Dr.  Clough  on  an  evan- 
gelistic tour  over  a  portion  of  the  Ongole  field,  where  Dr. 
Clough  believed  many  converts  were  awaiting  the  ordi- 
nance of  baptism.  But  before  this  couli  be  carried  out, 
Dr.  Clough's  health  was  such  that  the  plan  was  aban- 
doned. 

From  Ongole  our  visitor  went  to  Kamapatam,  visited 
the  seminary,  addressed  the  students,  and  then  came  to 
Nellore.  His  three  days  at  Nellore  will  be  remembered 
for  many  a  year.  He  addressed  both  the  English  and 
Telugu  Sunday-schools,  and  preached  to  the  Telugu 
church  in  the  morning  and  the  English  church  in  the 
evening.  Both  congregations  were  large,  and  listened 
with  rapt  attention.  The  native  Christians  tendered  Dr. 
Ashmore  a  reception  at  the  bungalow.  In  their  address 
of  welcome  they  had  but  one  request — two  more  mission- 
aries for  Nellore. 

This  visit  of  Dr.  Ashmore  was  an  inspiration  and  a 
benediction  both  to  the  missionaries  and  the  native  Chris- 
tians. 

For  more  than  a  year  the  state  of  Mrs.  Downie's  health 
was  far  from  satisfactory,  and  at  times  gave  rise  to  con- 
siderable anxiety  and  even  alarm.  Her  daughter,  Alice, 
also  had  reached  that  age  when  both  health  and  educa- 
tion would  seriously  suflfer  by  a  further  stay  in  India,  and 
hence  it  was  decided  best  that  they  should  return  home. 
They  sailed  from  Madras,  March  16,  1890.  Mr.  Downie 
accompanied  them  as  far  as  Colombo,  and  then  returned 
to  his  lonely  quarters  to  continue  his  work  for  two  years 
longer,  when  he  hoped  to  be  permitted  to  rejoin  his 
family. 


76  HISTORY    OF    THE    TELUGU    MISSION. 

In  just  one  year  and  one  month  from  the  time  of  Dr. 
Ashmore's  visit,  we  were  again  permitted  to  welcome  to 
Nellore  his  succossor  as  Home  Secretary,  the  Rev.  H.  C. 
Mabie,  d.  d.,  an  1  his  friend,  tlie  Rev.  Dr.  AVaterman.  By 
the  arrival  of  an  urgent  cable  message  from  the  Execu- 
tive Committee  to  return  home  at  once,  Dr.  Mabie  was 
about  to  cut  short  his  visit  to  the  Telugu  Mission,  and 
hence  called  a  conference  of  the  brethren  to  meet  him  in 
Nellore,  which  would  be  the  only  station  he  could  visit. 
This  cable  message  was  sent  to  Nellore  while  Dr.  Mur- 
dock  was  ill.  Some  days  later,  Dr.  Murdock  became 
aware  of  what  had  been  done,  and  immediately  sent  another 
message  :  "  Mabie  finish  Telugu  Mission."  This  message 
reached  Nellore  while  Dr.  Mabie  was  addressing  the  peo- 
ple in  the  Nellore  chapel.  There  was  a  very  deep  con- 
viction that  this  was  a  direct  answer  to  the  earnest  prayers 
that  had  gone  up  to  God,  that  he  would  guide  all  our 
plans  and  deliberations.  This  changed  Dr.  Mabie's  plans, 
and  enabled  him  to  proceed  to  Ramapatam,  Ongole,  and 
Cumbum.  These  were  happy,  blessed  days  in  Nellore, 
and  Dr.  Mabie  left  a  profound  impression  on  the  mission- 
aries and  native  Christians,  that  will  keep  for  him  a  warm 
place  in  their  hearts. 

At  Ramapatam,  Dr.  Mabie  addressed  the  students  of 
the  Seminary,  and  then  visited  each  of  the  classes  sepa- 
rately, observing  the  methods  of  instruction  and  impart- 
ing words  of  counsel  and  cheer.  The  closing  chapter  on 
Onscole  will  tell  more  of  this  visit 


m, 


% 


111 ii:p^. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

ONGOLE. 

Suggestiveness  of  the  name  Ongole.  Association  of  Mr.  Clough's  name  there- 
with. Beginning  of  work  there.  Mr.  Clough's  qualifications  for  it.  Be- 
ginning work  in  Nellore.  Reiuoval  to  Ongole.  Erection  of  a  new  build- 
ing. Earnest  commeuceiuent  of  the  work.  First  ingathering  at  Tulla- 
kondapaud.  Mr.  Clough's  pitching  his  tent  there.  Finding  disciples. 
First  baptisms.  Appeal  for  more  men.  Persecution  of  Christians.  Con- 
verts from  the  lower  classes.  Reasons  for  this.  Incident  illustrating  the 
obstacle  of  caste.  Caste  people  refusing  association  with  out-castes.  Stand 
of  the  missionaries  and  its  results.  Intellectual  superiority  of  caste  people. 
Their  coming  a  strength  needed  by  the  church.  Delayed  but  sure.  In- 
crease of  the  Ongole  Church.  Sowing  and  reaping.  "  A  missionary  of  one 
idea."    Circumstances  changing  methods. 

ONGOLE  is  situated  on  the  Great  Northern  Trunk 
Road,  one  hundred  and  eighty-two  miles  north  of 
Madras,  and  ten  miles  from  the  Bay  of  Bengal.  It  is 
the  second  largest  town  in  the  Nellore  District,  and  is 
the  headquarters  of  the  sub-collector.  Its  population 
in  1891  was  nine  thousand  two  hundred. 

The  Rev.  John  Everett  Clough  and  Ongole  are  names 
that  can  never  be  dissociated :  the  one  naturally  suggests 
the  other.  As  w^e  trace  the  history  of  the  mission  at  On- 
gole we  shall  find  unmistakable  evidence  of  God's  wonder- 
working power  in  the  great  work  that  has  been  accom- 
plished. We  have  seen  how  God  had  already  begun  to 
bless  a  feeble  native  agency  in  the  awakening  and  con- 
version of  souls  on  that  great  field  before  the  missionary 
arrived  there,  and  we  shall  see  how  he  continued  it  when 
the  work  passed  into  new  and  inexperienced  hands.    And 


78  HISTORY    OF    THE    TELUGU    MISSION. 

yet,  while  we  recognize  the  work  as  God's  work,  we  can- 
not fail  to  see  that  he  raised  up  and  especially  fitted  Mr. 
Clough  as  the  agent  through  whom  he  was  to  accomplish 
it.  .  If  we  were  called  upon  to  name  Mr.  Clough's  special 
qualifications  for  the  particular  work  to  which  he  has 
been  called,  we  should  say  that  they  were  these  :  A  ca- 
pacity to  command  the  situation  and  to  marshal  its  re- 
sources ;  a  sound  constitution  and  an  indomitable  spirit ; 
a  strong  love  for  Christ  and  the  souls  of  men ;  a  success- 
ful term  of  pioneer  service  in  the  Western  States,  and  a 
strong  faith  both  in  God  and  in  himself  as  God's  ap- 
pointed agent  for  the  accomplishment  of  a  great  work. 

We  have  already  noted  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clough's  arrival 
in  Nellore  in  1865,  and  the  enthusiastic  manner  in  which 
they  entered  upon  their  work.  It  was  evident  from  the 
very  beginning  that  they  had  come  to  India  for  a  pur- 
pose, and  they  burned  to  have  it  accomplished.  That 
purpose  w\as  to  preach  Christ  to  the  Telugus.  Hence  it 
was  that  before  Mr.  Clough  could  speak  half  a  dozen 
sentences  in  Telugu  correctly,  he  began  talking  to  the 
people  in  the  streets  and  bazaars  of  Kellore. 

On  the  evening  of  September  12th,  1866,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Clough  and  their  little  boy  Allen  left  Nellore  for"  Ongole. 
After  a  somewhat  tiresome  journey,  the  party  reached 
Ongole  on  the  morning  of  the  17th. 

One  of  the  first  things  a  missionary  wants  in  a  new 
station,  after  a  place  to  cover  his  own  head,  is  a  chapel. 
Mr.  Clough  had  scarcely  settled  in  Ongole  before  he  set 
to  work  to  get  a  building  that  should  be  chapel  and 
schoolhouse  combined.  The  estimated  cost  of  such  a 
building  as  he  proposed  to  erect  was  one  thousand  five 


OXGOLE.  79 

hundred  rupees ;  but  the  actual  cost  was  two  thousand 
three  hundred  and  forty  rupees,  of  which  the  sum  of 
two  thousand  and  ninety  rupees  was  raised  by  sub- 
scriptions in  India,  and  the  balance  was  charged  to  mis- 
sion funds. 

But  ^Ir.  Clough  did  not  wait  for  the  completion  of  his 
chapel  before  he  began  preaching  and  gathering  in  con- 
verts. He  immediately  arranged  the  forces  at  his  com- 
mand, and  set  them  to  work.  From  Nellore  he  brought 
three  able  assistants.  Two  were  preachers,  and  one  was 
a  colporteur.  The  preachers  preached  in  the  streets  of 
Ongole  and  surrounding  villages,  and  the  colporteur  ac- 
companied them  or  followed  them,  selling  his  tracts  and 
portions  of  the  Bible.  Mrs.  Clough  opened  a  school,  and 
soon  had  ten  pupils,  while  Mr.  Clough  supervised  tlie 
whole,  and  usually  spent  the  evenings  in  preaching  in  and 
about  Ongole. 

Tullakondapaud  is  a  village  which  deserves  especial 
mention  as  the  place  where  occurred  the  first  revival,  or 
spiritual  ingathering,  on  the  Ongole  field.  It  is  also  the 
village  of  Periah,  the  first  convert  from  the  Madigas,  the 
class  from  which  nearly  all  the  Ongole  Christians  have 
come,  who  was  baptized  by  Mr.  Jewett,  when  he  was  at 
Ongole  in  1866.  Tullakondapaud  is  about  forty  miles 
west  of  Ongole.  Ever  since  Periah's  conversion  and  bap- 
tism, the  preachers  and  colporteurs  had  been  making  oc- 
casional visits  to  this  village,  spending  several  days  at  a 
time  in  company  with  Periah,  preaching  and  praying  and 
talking  with  the  people.  Periah  had  also  made  several 
visits  to  Ongole  to  see  the  missionary,  taking  with  him  all 
who  were  anxious  to  know  about  the  new  relidon.    From 


80  HISTORY    OP    THE   TELUGU    MISSION. 

these  visits,  as  well  as  from  the  reports  brought  by  the 
preachers,  it  was  evident  that  a  spirit  of  inquiry  prevailed 
in  that  region.  As  soon,  therefore,  as  the  week  of  prayer 
was  closed,  Mr.  Cloiigh  determined  to  make  a  visit  to 
Tullakondapaiid  and  the  regions  beyond.  He  intended 
to  spend  several  weeks  on  this  tour,  but  a  little  experience 
soon  taught  him  that  he  was  not  prepared  for  it.  The 
roads  were  rough,  and  he  traveled  in  a  bullock  cart  by 
night,  halting  by  day  to  rest  the  bullocks.  He  made 
slow  progress,  of  course,  but  it  gave  him  an  opportunity 
to  preach  in  such  villages  as  were  near  enough  to  the 
road  to  be  reached  on  foot. 

At  TuUakondapaud,  he  pitched  his  tent  in  a  tamarind 
grove,  and  sent  word  to  all  the  surrounding  villages  that 
he  had  come  to  visit  them,  and  asked  them  to  come  to  the 
tent  and  see  him.  The  following  day,  some  thirty  or  forty 
people  arrived,  bringing  with  them  a  supply  of  food  to 
last  several  daysj^and  also  a  change  of  clothing  to  put  on 
after  they  were  baptized ;  they  said  they  had  come  to 
learn  more  about  Jesus,  but  that  they  believed  already, 
and  wanted  to  be  baptized. 

For  five  days  the  meetings  were  held.  At  the  end  of 
the  fifth  day,  January  20,  twenty-eight  converts  were 
baptized  on  profession  of  their  faith  in  Christ.  It  was  a 
precious  season  which  Mr.  Clough  will  probably  never 
forget.  Moved  by  some  such  impulse  as  moved  Peter  to 
say  on  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration,  "  Let  us  make  here 
three  tabernacles,"  Mr.  Clough  expressed  the  wish  that 
he  might  spend  at  least  six  months  of  the  year  in  tents, 
moving  about  the  country  preaching  Christ.  But  to  do 
that  he  must  be  better  equipped ;  and  besides   Ongole  as 


ONGOLE.  81 

the  centre  of  operations  had  claims  which  could  not  be 
neglected.  This  latter  consideration  led  Mr.  Clough  to 
renew  the  appeal  for  two  more  men,  and  predicted  that 
the  time  was  near  when  the  Telugus  would  come  to  Christ 
by  thousands. 

This  precious  work  of  grace,  while  it  was  an  inspiration 
to  the  missionaries,  and  doubtless  caused  joy  in  heaven, 
had  a  very  different  effect  upon  the  surrounding  heathen. 
Satan  does  not  willingly  relinquish  his  hold  on  men.  No 
sooner  had  these  converts  abandoned  his  service  and 
entered  the  service  of  the  Lord,  than  the  devil  put  it  into 
the  hearts  of  his  emissaries  to  persecute  the  poor  Christians. 
Water  from  the  public  wells  was  denied  them,  and  false 
charges  of  crime  were  tramped  up  against  them,  and  they 
were  thrust  into  prison.  But  the  Lord  delivered  them, 
and  the  false  accusers  were  publicly  reprimanded  and 
cautioned  to  let  the  Christians  alone.  This  deliverance, 
and  the  addition  of  others  from  the  same  region  rejoiced 
the  missionaries  greatly. 

It  has  been  a  wonder  to  many  why  it  is  that  the  Chris- 
tians have  come  almost  exclusively  from  the  lower  classes. 
It  need  not  have  been  so.  Had  the  missionaries  been 
disposed  to  pander  to  the  caste  prejudices  of  the  Hindus 
as  the  Roman  Catholics,  and  even  some  Protestants  do, 
and  excluded  the  poor  out-castes,  or  at  all  events  given 
them  a  separate  and  lower  place  in  the  church,  many  caste 
people  would  no  doubt  have  professed  Christianity.  But 
they  could  not  do  that  without  violating  their  consciences. 
What  a  struggle  it  cost  to  take  and  maintain  this  position 
may  be  illustrated  by  the  following  incident,  which  took 
place  at  Ongole.     In  January,  1867,  a  number   of  caste 


82  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU    ^riSilON. 

people  came  to  Ongole,  and  professed  faith  in  Christian-i 
ity  and  asked  to  be  baptized.  But  they  had  heard  of  the 
Madigas,  who  had  been  baptized  at  TuUakondapaud,  and 
objected  to  being  in  the  same  church  with  them.  The 
missionary  said  they  were  forty  miles  away,  and  could 
not  harm  them.  For  a  while  this  seemed  to  pacify  them. 
But  in  April,  twelve  more  converts  came  from  TuUakon- 
dapaud to  be  baptized.  The  missionary  almost  hoped 
they  would  fail  in  the  examination.  But  they  gave  good 
evidence  of  conversion.  Here  was  a  dilemma.  Could 
these  converts  be  rejected  to  please  a  heathen  prejudice? 
The  missionaries  sought  counsel  of  God.  Without  design 
on  his  part,  Mr.  Clough  turned  to  1  Cor.  1  :  26-29  :  "  For 
ye  see  your  calling,  brethren,  how  that  not  many  wise 
men  after  the  flesh,  not  many  mighty,  not  many  noble, 
are  called  :  but  God  hath  chosen  the  foolish  things  of  the 
world  to  confound  the  wise ;  and  God  hath  chosen  the 
weak  things  of  the  world  to  confound  the  things  which  are 
mighty  ;  and  base  things  of  the  world,  and  things  which  are 
despised,  hath  God  chosen,  yea,  and  things  which  are  not, 
to  bring  to  nought  things  which  are  :  that  no  flesh  should 
glory  in  his  presence."  In  a  separate  room,  at  the  same 
time,  Mrs.  Clough  read  this  same  passage,  yet  with  no 
knowledge  of  what  her  husband  was  doing.  Coming  from 
their  closets  each  related  what  had  transpired.  They  had 
no  longer  any  doubt  as  to  God's  will.  The  converts 
were  baptized,  much  to  the  disgust  of  the  caste  people, 
who  said  :  "  If  these  are  received,  we  cannot  enter  your 
church." 

This  event,  though  apparently  unpropitious,  was   pro- 
bably one  of  the  most  fortunate  circumstances  in  the  history 


ONGOLE.  83 

of  the  mission.     Had  the  missionaries  yielded   to   their 
own  inclinations,  and  admitted  the  caste  people  in  prefer- 
ence to  the  low  out-castes,  the  doors  of  the  church  would 
have  been  effectually  closed  and  barred  against  all  non- 
caste  converts ;  the  mission  would  have  become   a   caste 
mission — a  semi-Christian  mission,  more  like  the  Brahmo 
Somaj  than  a  Christian  church.     It  would  have  taken  a 
liigher  social  standing:  more  of  the  well-to-do  classes  would 
have  joined  it,  and  it  would  have  exerted  a  wider  influence 
among  the  educated  and  wealthy.  But  on  the  other  hand, 
instead  of  fourteen  stations,  there  would  have   been   per- 
haps three  or  four ;  instead  of  forty  thousand  members,  a 
few  hundred  would  probably  be  all  that  could  be  numbered. 
But   infinitely  more  important  than   the  question  of 
numbers,  rank  or  wealth  Is  that  of  character      It  is  by  no 
means  either  said  or  implied  that  a  Christian   from   the 
out-castes  is  better  than  one  from  the   caste   people.     On 
the  contrary,  other  things  being  equal,  the  caste  convert  is 
to  be  preferred.     A  few  of  the  low  caste  converts  with 
even  a  limited  education    have   shown    powers   of  mind 
equal  if  not  superior  to  the  average  Brahman  ;  but  this  is 
by  no  means  common.     It  will  take  many  generations  of 
Christian  training  and  education  before   the   Christians 
from  the  Pariah  class  can  be  raised    to   the   intellectual 
level  of  the  Brahman,  and  other  caste  people.     If,  there- 
fore, the  caste  people  were  really   and   truly    converted 
there  can  be  no  doubt  that  it  would  hasten  the  day  when 
the  church  mil  be  able  to  stand  alone.     Indeed,  it  is  the 
faith  of  many  that  till  that  day  comes,   that  is,   till   the 
caste  people  are  reached  and  brought  in,  the  church  will 
not  attain  an  independent  standing  in  India.     But  it  is  in- 


84  HISTORY    OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

finitely  better  that  the  coming  in  of  the  caste  people 
should  be  delayed  than  that  they  should  bring  into  the 
church  a  religious  caste.  Hence  the  wisdom  of  God  in 
calling  the  poor  out-castes  first.  When  the  caste  people 
come — as  come  they  must — it  will  only  be  when  their 
caste  has  been  thoroughly  broken  and  abandoned.  This 
will  be  the  strongest  possible  evidence  of  the  genuineness 
of  their  conversion. 

By  the  close  of  1867,  the  Ongole  Church  had  in- 
creased from  eight  members  at  its  organization  to  seventy- 
five  ;  the  new  chapel  was  completed  and  paid  for,  almost 
wholly  from  funds  collected  in  the  country.  The  gospel 
had  been  preached  to  the  people  of  over  eight  hundred 
villages,  and  over  seventy  thousand  pages  of  tracts  and 
Scripture  portions  had  been  distributed.  Besides  these 
labors  of  the  missionary  and  his  assistants,  Mrs.  Clough 
had  conducted  a  school  in  Ongole,  and  frequently  went 
out  with  the  wives  of  the  preachers  to  labor  among  the 
village  women.  Thus  the  good  seed  of  the  kingdom  was 
sown  broadcast,  and  even  while  sowing  the  seed,  the  Lord 
of  the  harvest  graciously  permitted  the  sowers  to  gather 
in  many  sheaves  of  precious  grain.  But  w^hat  appeared 
to  be  a  shower  of  divine  grace,  was  simply  a  few  drops 
before  a  more  copious  rain. 

In  his  report  of  1867,  Mr.  Clough  referred  to  an  An- 
glo-vernacular school  he  had  started,  from  which  he  had 
hoped  for  good  results.  But  soon  after,  he  changed  his 
mind  and  wrote  to  the  Board  that  he  had  closed  the 
school,  dismissed  his  English  teacher,  and  determined,  by 
God's  help,  to  be  "  a  missionary  of  one  idea,"  and  devote 
all  his  energies  to  raising  up  a  class  of  native  helpers  to 


OXGOLE.  85 

preach  Christ  to  the  Telugus  in  their  own  tongue.  The 
Corresponding  Secretary  strongly  commended  this  course, 
and,  quoting  Mr.  Clough's  words,  said  :  "  They  are  very 
suggestive,  and  may  well  be  pondered  by  all." 

Perhaps  no  one  pondered  these  words  more  than 
Mr.  Clough  himself,  and  with  the  result  that  he  long  ago 
ceased  to  be  the  "  missionaiy  of  one  idea  "  that  he  thought 
he  was.  As  far  back  as  1875  he  started  the  movement 
which  resulted  in  the  present  high  school,  which  is  pre- 
cisely what  he  discarded  in  1867.  Circumstances  alter 
cases,  and  the  missionary  who  can  recognize  the  changed 
condition  of  the  people  and  change  liis  policy  accordingly, 
is  wiser  than  he  who  persists  on  a  given  course  irrespective 
of  the  new  conditions.  Mr.  Clough  was  probably  right 
in  discarding  Anglo-vernacular  schools  in  1867,  but  not 
more  so  than  in  advocating  them  in  1875.  They  were 
not  needed  then ;  now  they  are. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

RICH   HARVEST   FIELDS. 

A  prophetic  scene.  An  extended  service.  The  Cumbum  field.  Persecution 
at  Markapur.  Additional  baptisms.  Introduction  of  Mr.  McLaurin  to  the 
field.  Mr.  Clough's  return  to  the  United  States.  Mr  McLaurin's  fitness  to 
be  his  substitute.  Dissatisfaction  among  the  Ongole  Christians  at  the 
change.  Fever  at  Cumbum,  Progress  of  the  work.  Eeturn  of  Mr.  Clough, 
and  organization  of  the  Canadian  Baptist  Mission.  More  men  and  means 
for  the  Telugus.    Change  of  work  compelled. 

IN  the  garden  of  the  Ongole  compound  Mr.  Clough 
constructed  a  baptistery,  which  was  dedicated  on  the 
first  of  August,  1869,  by  the  baptism  of  forty-two  converts. 
It  was  a  most  interesting  occasion,  and  filled  the  mission- 
aries with  great  joy  and  thanksgiving.  To  some  ex- 
tent they  had  in  this  baptismal  scene  a  glimpse  of  the 
greater  similar  events  before  them.  But  they  little 
dreamed  that  in  less  than  ten  years  from  that  day  more 
than  ten  thousand  would  be  added  to  their  number  by 
baptism. 

An  hour  after  these  first  baptisms  in  the  Ongole  bap- 
tistery the  company  gathered  in  the  chapel  and  celebrated 
the  Lord's  Supper.  The  Christians  were  not  disposed  to 
return  to  their  villages,  but  lingered  on  to  hear  more,  and 
to  rehearse  their  troubles  occasioned  by  the  heathen. 
Until  nearly  midnight  the  missionary  continued,  advis- 
ing, exhorting,  and  encouraging  them. 

Soon  after  this,  Mr.  Clough  made  a  tour  to  the  west  as 
far  as  Cumbum.  The  whole  tour  from  beginning  to  end 
86 


History  of  the  Telugu  Mission, 

REV.  JOHN  E.  CLOUGH. 


Page  77. 


RICH   HAKVEST    FIELDS.  87 

furnished  unmistakable  evidences  that  the  good  seed  had 
been  scattered,  and  in  many  places  was  taking  root.  Near 
Cumbum,  some  fifty  or  sixty  asked  to  be  baptized.  Of 
these,  twenty-five  were  received  and  baptized  in  the 
Goondlacumma  river.  This  was  the  beginning  of  the 
Cumbum  field,  w^hich  now  bids  fair  to  rival  even  Ongole 
in  fruitfulness. 

At  Markapur,  another  important  town  about  twenty 
miles  north  of  Cumbum,  Mr.  Clough  found  a  few  Chris- 
tians w^ho  had  been  sorely  persecuted  by  their  heathen 
neighbors.  Some  of  them  had  been  cast  into  prison. 
Some  of  them  were  too  weak  to  withstand  the  persecution 
and  went  back  into  heathenism ;  but  most  of  them  stood 
firm,  and  through  the  missionary's  influence  were  soon 
delivered  from  their  persecutors.  This,  of  course,  gave 
courage  to  the  faltering,  and  no  doubt  influenced  others 
to  join  the  Christians. 

In  November,  seventy-four  were  baptized  in  Ongole. 
This  was  the  largest  number  that  had  yet  been  received 
at  one  time.  Mrs.  Clough,  in  writing  about  it,  said  that 
although  they  had  expected  great  things  from  the  Lord, 
this  was  beyond  their  expectations,  and  a  rebuke  to  their 
little  faith.  In  December,  Mr.  Clough  made  another  tour 
to  the  district  of  Cumbum.  Great  crow^ds  everywhere 
gathered  to  hear  the  word  preached,  and  as  the  result  of 
the  effort  three  hundred  and  twenty-four  were  baptized. 
Thus  the  year  1869  closed  with  a  total  increase  of  six 
hundred  and  forty-eight. 

In  1870,  the  work  was  continued  with  unabated  zeal 
and  success.  Another  trip  was  made  to  Cumbum,  the 
Rev.  Jno.  McLaurin  being  of  the  company.     This  was  a 


88  HISTORY    OF   THE   TELUGU    MISSION. 

fortunate  circumstance,  for  on  the  way  Mr.  Clongh  was 
taken  seriously  ill,  and  although  this  cut  short  the  tour,  a 
large  number  of  converts  was  baptized  by  Mr.  McLaurin. 
Mr.  Clough  went  to  Ramapatam  to  rest  awhile  by  the 
sea,  hoping  thus  to  be  able  to  continue  his  work.  He 
derived  benefit  from  this,  and  so  was  able  to  remain  in 
India  through  the  year. 

During  1871,  Mr.  Clough  made  three  extensive  tours 
over  his  field  accompanied  by  Mr.  McLaurin.  As  the  latter 
was  to  succeed  Mr.  Clough  in  Ongole,  this  introduction  to 
the  work  was  of  great  value.  By  the  end  of  this  year  the 
Ongole  Church  numbered  one  thousand  six  hundred  and 
fifty-eight.  In  November,  Mr.  McLaurin  removed  his 
family  from  Ramapatam  to  Ongole,  and  in  February, 
1872,  after  seven  years  of  incessant  labor,  Mr.  Clough  and 
his  family  returned  to  the  United  States  for  needed  rest 
and  recuperation. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  McLaurin  had  by  this  time  been  in  the 
country  two  years,  having  landed  in  Madras,  February 
11,  1870.  They  went  direct  to  Ramapatam,  where  they 
at  once  began  the  study  of  Te].ugu.  Mr.  McLaurin  had 
a  passion  for  language,  and  speedily  acquired  an  excep- 
tionally good  command  of  the  Telugu.  This,  wdth  his  op- 
portunities of  mingling  with  the  people  while  touring 
with  Mr.  Clough,  and  thus  practicing  what  he  had  learned, 
fitted  him  in  an  eminent  degree  for  the  great  work  which 
lay  before  him.  Few  missionaries  are  so  early  called 
upon  to  assume  charge  of  a  field  involving  graver  respon- 
sibilities, harder  work,  or  the  exercise  of  greater  discre- 
tion ;  and  fewer  still  could  have  discharged  the  respon- 
sible duties  more  successfully. 


RICH    HARVEST   FIELDS.  89 

Still,  the  Christians  did  not  like  the  prospect  of  parting 
with  the  only  missionary  they  had  known,  and  exchang- 
ing him  for  one  whom  they  did  not  know.  This  spirit 
of  dissatisfaction  w^as  manifest  even  before  Mr.  Clough 
left  Ongole,  and  no  sooner  had  he  gone  than  it  brf)ke  out 
into  open  rebellion.  But  Mr.  McLaurin's  discretion, 
firmness,  patience,  and  kindness  soon  convinced  the  people 
that  he  was  their  friend,  and  would  do  for  them  all  that 
they  could  reasonably  expect  him  or  any  other  to  do.  In 
addition  to  this  trouble  in  Ongole,  a  panic  had  seized  the 
Christians  at  Cumbum,  omng  to  a  violent  type  of  fever 
having  broken  out.  The  heathen  declared  that  the  Chris- 
tians were  the  cause  of  it.  The  gods  were  angry  because 
they  had  forsaken  their  worship,  and  this  fever  was  sent 
as  a  punishment.  As  the  custom  is,  a  great  sacrifice 
had  to  be  made  to  appease  the  anger  of  the  gods,  and  the 
Christians  were  told  that  they  must  join  in  it.  Some  did 
so,  while  others  stood  firm  in  their  refusal.  A  number  of 
boys  from  this  part  of  the  field  were  at  school  in  Ongole. 
To  them  Mr.  McLaurin  gave  medicine  and  such  instruc- 
tion as  he  could,  and  sent  them  oflT  to  Cumbum  to  care 
for  their  sick  relatives  and  friends.  This  accomplished  a 
double  purpose.  It  reduced  the  number  of  discontented 
ones  in  Ongole,  and  diverted  the  minds  of  some  of  them 
from  making  mischief  to  doing  good ;  and  it  also  reassured 
many  at  Cumbum  who  were  wavering  in  their  faith.  Be- 
fore the  year  closed  all  these  troubles  were  ended,  and  the 
people  rallied  around  Mr.  McLaurin  just  as  they  had 
done  around  Mr.  Clough. 

During  the  first  year  Mr.  McLaurin  travelled  over  a 
very  large  portion  of  the  field,,  preaching  in  a  large  num- 


90  HISTORY    OF    THE    TELUGU    MISSION. 

ber  of  villages,  including  Viniikonda  and  Nursaraopett, 
now  flourishing  stations.  There  had  been  seventeen 
preachers  and  three  colporteurs  employed.  The  latter  had 
sold  six  thousand  five  hundred  tracts  and  eight  hundred 
Bible  portions,  besides  giving  many  away.  There  were 
one  hundred  and  thirteen  pupils  in  the  compound  school, 
ten  of  whom  entered  the  seminary  that  year.  There  were 
also  twenty-two  village  scliools. 

The  second  year  of  Mr.  McLaurin's  labors  in  Ongole 
differed  from  the  first  only  in  degree.  More  traveling 
done,  more  converts  baptized,  and  more  instruction  given. 
The  Christians  grew  in  grace  and  were  gradually  getting 
a  better  understanding  of  the  principles  of  the  gospel. 
During  these  two  years  Mr.  McLaurin  baptized  one 
thousand  one  hundred  and  eighty-five,  four  hundred  and 
seventy-seven  the  first  year,  and  seven  hundred  and  eight 
the  second,  which  was  the  largest  number  thus  far  bap- 
tized in  any  one  year.  Mr.  McLaurin  handed  over  his 
charge  to  Mr.  Clough,  February  2,  1874,  and  immediately 
proceeded  to  Cocanada  to  organize  the  new  Telugu  mis- 
sion of  the  Canadian  Baptists. 

Before  setting  out  for  America,  Mr.  Clough  was  com- 
missioned to  secure  four  new  men  for  the  mission  and  an 
endowment  of  fifty  thousand  dollars  for  the  theological 
seminary.  When  this  request  was  laid  before  the  Execu- 
tive Committee,  it  was  thought  to  be  a  pretty  large  de- 
mand and  much  doubt  was  entertained  as  to  the  possibility 
of  securing  it.  However,  after  a  time  consent  was  given 
to  make  the  attempt,  provided  it  could  be  done  without 
interfering  with  the  general  collections  of  the  Union. 
When  this  consent  was  secured,  Mr.  Clough  set  to  work. 


RICH    HARVEST   FIELDS.  91 

He  issued  circulars,  and  wrote  letters,  setting  forth  the 
claims  and  needs  of  the  mission  ;  he  traveled  extensively, 
making  his  appeals  to  State  Conventions,  Associations, 
churches,  and  individuals. 

The  four  men  were  appointed,  and  the  fifty  thousand 
dollars  was  secured.  In  achieving  these  results,  Mr. 
Clough  traveled  twenty-nine  thousand  two  hundred  and 
sixteen  miles,  visited  seventy  cities,  ninety-six  churches, 
and  delivered  one  hundred  and  sixty-two  public  addresses. 

As  soon  as  Mr.  Clough  returned  from  America,  he 
resumed  his  work  as  in  former  years,  until  1876,  when  the 
famine  compelled  him  to  turn  his  attention  to  saving  the 
bodies  as  well  as  the  souls  of  men. 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE   GREAT    FAMINE   OF    1876-78. 

The  great  famine.  Famines  common  in  India.  Due  to  failure  of  the  mon- 
soons. Periodic  in  their  visitations.  Historic  famines.  Famine  of  lb76-78. 
Failure  of  the  monsoons.  Apprehensions  of  famine.  Prices  of  grain 
increasi".  Grain  riots.  Importation  of  rice.  Widespread  distress.  Deaths 
from  starvation.  Horrors  of  the  famine.  lielief  organized.  Hindus  first  to 
the  rescue.  Natives  not  always  fairly  represented.  Charitable  in  disposition. 
Many  dependent  ones.  First  indications  of  famine.  Rumors  of  plenty. 
Lack  of  measures  to  meet  the  emergency.  Private  charity  abundant. 
Thousands  thus  fed.  Government  action  taken  in  Madras.  Conspicuous 
helpers.  Work  of  the  police.  Relief  elsewhere.  Government  works 
established.  Efficiency  of  government  recognized.  Appeals  of  mission- 
aries f->r  help.  Relif-f  in  the  Nellore  compound.  Mr.  Clough  as  a  con- 
tractor TJie  Mansion  House  fund.  Formation  of  relief  committees.  The 
Nellore  Committee.  Sy.stematic  visitation.  Ruin  to  the  small  farmers. 
Loss  of  cattle.  Distress  among  other  classes.  EflForts  to  relieve  it.  Day 
nurseries.  Successful  work  by  the  Nellore  Mission.  Efficiency  of  the  mis- 
tioiiaries.  Large  loss  of  life  despite  relief  measures.  The  natives  not 
ungrateful.    Grateful  thanks  expressed. 

ALTHOUGH  the  famine  was  common  to  the  whole 
mission,  yet  as  the  next  chapter  on  the  "  Great 
Ingathering  "  is  so  closely  connected  with  the  famine,  it 
seems  very  desirable  that  an  account  of  it  should  be 
given. 

India  has  been  subject  to  famines  from  the  earliest  his- 
toric periods.  Large  portions  of  the  country  always  will 
be  liable  to  serious  agricultural  vicissitudes  owing  to 
the  uncertainty  of  the  rainfall  during  the  southwest  and 
ilortheast  monsoons.  The  failure  of  these  monsoon  rains 
has  been  the  chief  and  almost  exclusive  cause  of  famines 
in  India.  In  a  .  w  instances,  war  has  augmented  and 
92 


THE   GREAT   FAMINE   OF    1876-78.  93 

even  caused  famine,  but  in  the  great  majority  of  cases 
want  of  rain  has  been  the  sole  cause.  Thus  of  the  forty- 
three  famines  of  which  we  have  records,  all  but  three  or 
four  of  them  were  caused  by  the  failure  of  the  monsoon 
rains.  Except  in  Burma  and  East  Bengal,  where  the  rain 
never  fails,  and  in  Scinde,  where  it  seldom  or  never  comes 
and  the  people  depend  solely  on  river  irrigation,  some 
part  of  India  suffers  two  years  in  every  nine  from  famine. 
That  is,  taking  the  whole  of  India,  a  famine  of  some  sort 
may  be  expected  in  one  province  or  another  every  fourth 
or  tilth  year,  and  a  bad  famine  every  twelfth  year.  Or 
to  put  it  in  another  form,  the  entire  population  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty  millions  of  people  sufi'ers  from  famine 
every  half  century. 

The  earliest  famine  of  which  we  have  any  record  was 
that  of  A.  D.  1345,  which  was  one  of  the  very  few  that 
was  caused  more  by  the  disturbed  state  of  the  country 
than  by  drought.  It  is  said  to  have  been  very  dreadful 
in  its  effects,  especially  around  Delhi.  The  one  of  longest 
duration  was  that  of  A.  D.  1396,  which  extended  over  the 
whole  of  South  India,  and  decimated  the  entire  country 
affected.  It  lasted  for  twelve  years  and  in  some  sections 
there  was  a  scarcity  for  thiily  years.  Of  the  famines  of 
the  present  century,  that  of  1 868-69,  extended  over  the 
largest  area,  affecting  two  hundred  and  ninety-six  thousand 
square  miles,  while  the  famine  of  1876-78  affected  the 
largest  number  of  people,  viz.,  fifty-eight  millions.  It  is 
of  this  last  that  we  have  now  particularly  to  speak. 

No  one  who  was  in  South  India  toward  the  end  of  1876 
is  likely  to  forget  the  intense  anxiety  with  which  the  com- 
ing of  the  northeast  monsoon  was  watched  and  prayed 


94  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

for.  A  cloud,  though  no  bigger  than  a  man's  hand,  was 
eagerly  hailed  as  the  possible  harbinger  of  the  long 
looked-for  rain ;  but  each  cloud  carae  and  went,  and  still 
the  heavens  were  as  clear  and  bright  as  ever.  Never  per- 
haps were  clear  skies  so  thoroughly  unappreciated. 

As  early  as  August  a  good  deal  of  anxiety  had  begun 
to  be  felt,  for  the  southwest  monsoon  failed  to  bring  the 
usual  amount  of  rain,  and  in  some  sections  it  was  almost 
a  total  failure.  In  September,  reports  began  to  reach  the 
newspapers  regarding  distress  in  some  districts.  Toward 
the  end  of  October,  no  signs  of  the  northeast  monsoon 
being  apparent,  and  the  effect  of  the  partial  failure  of 
the  southwest  monsoon  being  experienced  in  increasing 
measure  in  the  central  districts,  it  w^as  apprehended  that 
a  dreadful  famine  was  at  hand ;  panic  seized  the  people, 
and  the  grain  merchants  began  to  hoard  up  their  grain 
and  to  import  large  quantities  from  other  provinces. 
Prices  rose  to  double  and  even  treble  the  ordinary  rates, 
and  threats  were  made  of  "  looting  "  grain  bazaars.  lu 
some  sections  grain  riots  actually  did  take  place,  and 
although  they  were  speedily  checked  yet  they  added  much 
to  the  general  anxiety  of  the  government  and  panic  of 
the  people. 

At  this  point  the  government  of  Madras  thought  it 
expedient  to  import  grain,  but  the  general  government 
deprecated  this  as  an  infringement  of  the  rights  of  private 
trade.  If  grain  was  imported  at  all  it  was  to  be  strictly 
as  a  "reserve."  Notwithstanding  this,  however,  the 
Madras  Government  imported  thirty  thousand  tons  of 
rice  and  distributed  it  all  over  the  affected  districts,  selling 
it  at  rates  within  the  reach  of  the  people. 


THE   GREAT   FAMINE   OF    1876-78.  05 

The  worst  fears  respecting  the  failure  of  the  northeast 
monsoon  were  now  fully  realized,  and  the  dreaded  famine 
with  all  its  untold  horrors  of  pestilence,  starvation,  and 
death  followed. 

It  would  be  difficult  indeed  to  give  in  a  few  pages  any- 
thing like  an  adequate  description  of  the  scenes  that  were 
daily  brought  to  view  during  that  dreadful  time.  Before 
relief  operations  were  organized,  our  compounds  were 
thronged  by  crowds  of  wretched,  starving  creatures  beg- 
ging for  a  morsel  of  food.  Some  of  these  were  women 
with  scarcely  a  rag  of  clothing  to  cover  their  bodies,  and 
some  of  them  with  very  little  to  cover,  except  skin  and 
bones.  Some  were  mothers  of  little  babies  vainly  striving 
to  extract  a  few  drops  of  nourishment  from  their  mother's 
empty  breasts.  The  shrill  cry  of  those  babes,  and  the 
feeble  wails  of  those  mothers  for  food,  were  pitiful  to  hear. 
In  the  streets,  even  in  towns  like  Nellore,  it  was  no  un- 
common thing  to  see  persons  lying  dead  or  dying  from 
starvation  or  disease.  The  Rev.  J.  Herrick  said :  "  On 
a  recent  tour  I  heard  directly  of  the  death  of  thirty 
persons  from  starvation.  In  one  inclosure  I  saw  a  man 
lying  on  his  back  insensible.  A  little  distance  from  hira 
lay  his  wife  in  a  half-conscious  state  with  an  infant  trying 
to  extract  nourishment  from  her  breast,  and  an  older  child 
lying  in  the  same  condition  as  its  mother.  The  man  died 
soon  after.  In  another  village  of  four  families  of  twenty 
persons,  nine  died  of  starvation."  Mr.  Yorke  of  Dindigal 
said :  "  One  of  my  schoolboys  reported  to  me  having 
seen  tliirty  bodies  brought  down  the  river.  In  a  small 
hamlet  I  was  pained  to  see  the  children  in  a  starving  con- 
dition, yet  none  of  them  were  beggars.     A  boy  came  with 


96  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

a  bunch  of  greens  to  be  cooked  for  the  family ;  he  ex- 
claimed, "  My  eyes  are  dim,"  and  falling  to  the  ground, 
he  died.  Half  the  horrors  of  the  famine  have  not  and 
cannot  be  told." 

F.  Kowlandson,  Esq.,  said  :  "  At  one  place  the  faces 
of  some  of  the  children  haunted  us  so  much  that  we  gave 
orders  for  two  hundred  of  the  worst  cases  to  be  collected. 
You  should  have  seen  them,  for  I  could  not  hope  to  give 
you  an  adequate  idea  of  their  misery.  In  some,  the  last 
forces  of  their  system  seemed  to  have  been  expended  in 
growing,  and  I  never  saw  out  of  Dore's  drawings,  human 
beings  whose  length  was  so  hideously  disproportionate  to 
their  breadth.  Others  were  tiny  and  wizened  in  every  way, 
as  if  an  attempt  had  been  made  to  see  into  how  small  a 
compass  a  suffering  body  could  be  compressed.  The 
whole  party,  alter  we  had  inspected  them,  were  marched 
off  to  a  relief  camp,  but  over  a  hundred  of  them  slipped 
away,  and  only  ninety-six  of  them  reached  the  new  home. 
The  poor  wee  runaways  preferred,  I  suppose,  the  evils  they 
knew  of,  bad  as  they  were,  to  the  horrid,  vague  unknown. 
Those  that  allowed  themselves  to  be  taken  care  of  were  ■ 
fed,  and  soon  that  line  of  beauty,  the  curve,  was  substi- 
tuted for  the  hideous  famine  angles."  These  are  but  iso- 
lated specimens  of  what  might  have  been  seen  all  over  the 
country  from  the  latter  part  of  1876  to  the  close  of  1877. 

It  will  be  a  surprise  to  some  who  read  these  pages  to 
know  that  the  first  to  enter  the  lists  as  dispensers  of  relief 
in  this  dire  calamity  were  the  Hindus  themselves.  Mis- 
sionaries and  others  have  not  always  been  quite  fair  to  the 
Hindus  in  this,  as  indeed  in  a  good  many  other  respects. 
Private  charity  in  time  of  distress  is  a  duty  incumbent 


THE   GREAT   FAMINE   OF    1876-78.  97 

on  every  one  who  has  the  means  wherewith  to  help  liis 
brother,  and  there  are  no  people  on  the  face  of  the  earth 
more  given  to  charity  than  the  Hindus.  The  motive 
which  prompts  a  Hindu  to  charity  may  be  very  different 
from  that  which  prompts  a  Christian,  and  yet  even  here 
the  difference,  in  many  instances,  may  not  be  so  great  as 
at  first  appears.  But  we  are  not  now  speaking  of  mo- 
tives, but  of  acts.  In  all  Christian  countries  the  poor  arc 
supported  by  the  State,  while  in  India  they  are  supported 
by  private  chai'ity.  That  is,  beneficence  to  the  poor  in 
India  is  bestowed  voluntarily,  while  in  Christian  coun- 
tries it  is  rendered  by  government.  Christianity  in  th3 
concrete  will  not  allow  people  to  starve,  but  individual 
Christians  do  not  feel  so  strongly  as  Hindus  the  claims  of 
their  religion  in  respect  to  charity.  .  In  Christian  coun- 
tries multitudes  of  beggars  are  supported  by  the  State, 
who  might  and  ought  to  be  supported  by  their  own  rela- 
tives and  friends.  But  on  the  other  hand,  it  is  a  question 
whether  this  private  charity  does  not  foster  pauperism. 
Certain  it  is,  a  fearfully  large  number  of  the  population 
of  India  is  wholly  or  in  part  dependent  on  the  charity  of 
their  families  and  co-religionists.  This  is  one  of  the  many 
causes  which  keeps  the  great  mass  of  the  people  so  mis- 
erably poor,  and  which  makes  a  famine  a  thing  to  be 
dreaded. 

Among  the  first  indications  of  the  famine  was  the  flock- 
ing of  gieat  crowds  of  men,  women,  and  childi-en  to  the 
cities  and  larger  towns.  In  Madras  especially  this  was 
most  noticeable.  In  many  of  the  rural  districts  a  report 
had  gotten  abroad  that  in  Madras  "there  were  mountains 
of  rice  and  oceans  of  ghee,"  and  all  they  had  to  do  was 

G 


98  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

to  go  there  and  be  fed.  In  this  connection,  Mr.  Digby  says  : 
"  The  general  public  of  Madras,  as  well  as  the  governmeni;, 
was  taken  aback  by  the  rapid  manifestation  of  distress  in 
October-December,  1876,  and  no  organized  measures  were 
taken  of  a  nature  adequate  to  meet  the  need.  The  Friend- 
in-Need  Society,  a  charitable  institution  for  the  relief  of 
poor  Europeans  and  Eurasians,  strengthened  its  organiza- 
tion, but  this  was  all.  For  the  natives  nothing  was  done 
on  a  scale  commensurate  with  what  was  wanted.  A  sug- 
gestion was  made  that  in  Madras  subscriptions  should  be 
raised,  and  non-ofhcial  aid  secured  in  relief  measures,  but 
the  idea  was  looked  upon  coldly,  or  actively  opposed,  as 
in  one  of  the  daily  journals  of  the  city,  where  it  was 
pointed  out  that  the  disaster  was  so  terrible  that  only  a 
great  organization  like  that  possessed  by  government 
could  hope  to  cope  with  the  difficulty.  Consequently, 
nothing  was  done  in  an  organized  manner.  Nevertheless, 
much  charity  was  being  displayed,  particularly  among 
the  natives.  There  was  scarcely  a  family  which  had  not 
some  poor  relatives  from  the  country  who  looked  to  them 
for  food,  which  was  cheerfully  given  ;  not  for  a  few  weeks 
or  months  only,  but  in  many  cases  for  more  than  a  year. 
Conversation  with  native  gentlemen  on  this  point  has 
served  to  bring  out  many  cases  of  heroic  self-sacrifice. 
Half  rations  were  cheerfully  accepted  by  respectable  peo- 
ple, so  that  their  relatives  might  share  with  them  such 
food  as  they  had.  Even,  however,  when  all  the  wander- 
ers wdio  had  kinsfolk  in  town  were  provided  for,  there  were 
still  many  people  who  had  no  food,  and  in  accordance 
with  religious  teaching,  and  the  promptings  of  their  own 
hearts,  several  Hindu  gentlemen  in  the  northern  division 


THE   GREAT   FAMIXE   OF    1876-78,  99 

of  Madras  fed  daily  a  large  number  of  people.  Two 
members  of  the  Clietty  caste  fed  two  thousand  each  ;  one 
Modiliyar,  two  thousand ;  two  Chetties,  two  thousand,  and 
one  thousand  five  hundred  respectively,  and  others  smaller 
numbers,  making  altogether  eleven  thousand  four  hun- 
dred. The  food  supplied  has  been  described  as  of  a  very 
poor  character,  being  thin  gruel,  or  congee  of  rice  or 
raghi  poured  into  their  hands.  In  addition  to  these,  hun- 
dreds of  poor  people  congregated  on  the  beach,  were  lay- 
ing up  for  themselves  a  day  of  cruel  reckoning,  by  living 
on  the  grains  of  rice  sifted  from  the  sea-sand.  Early  in 
December,  the  government  felt  it  was  bound  to  grapple 
with  the  distress  manifested  in  the  chief  city  of  the  presi- 
dency, and  issued  an  order  to  the  Commissioner  of  Police 
directing  him  to  open  camps,  and  in  various  ways  to  pro- 
vide sustenance  for  the  multitudes.  In  this  order  of 
government  the  following  tribute  was  paid  to  the  gene- 
rosity which  had  been  exiiibited  by  certain  Hindus: 
'  His  Grace  in  Council  has  observed  with  much  satisfac- 
tion the  efforts  made  by  all  classes  to  relieve  by  private 
charity  the  existing  distress  among  their  fellow- townsmen. 
Conspicuous  among  these  efforts  are  those  of  the  Friend- 
in-Need  Society,  and  His  Grace,  the  Governor-in-Coun- 
cil  resolves  to  gi'ant  to  the  Friend-in-Need  Society  a 
monthly  donation  equal  to  the  special  collections  for  re- 
lie^^ng  the  poor,  and  to  request  the  gentlemen  above- 
mentioned  to  accept  for  distribution  in  food  a  monthly 
sum  equal  to  the  sum  expended  by  them  in  feeding  the 
poor,  the  only  condition  appended  to  these  grants  being 
that  the  money  distributed  for  the  government  shall  be 
applied  to  feeding  those  only  who  by  age  and  infirmity 


100  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

are  incapable  of  laboring  for  their  livelihood,  and  that 
the  establishments  where  the  poor  are  fed  shall  be  open 
to  the  inspection  of  an  officer  deputed  by  the  govern- 
ment.' 

"Madras  town  relief  thus  passed,  in  December,  1876 
into  the  hands  of  the  police,  who  frequently  had  as  many 
as  twenty  thousand  people  daily  to  feed,  and  whose  work 
was  done  with  a  thoroughness  beyond  all  praise.  Thence- 
forward, for  nine  months,  only  fugitive  acts  of  charity, 
save  through  the  Friend-in-Need  Society,  were  performed ; 
the  public,  save  as  taxpayers,  had  no  part  or  lot  in  the 
efforts  wnich  were  being  made  to  save  the  perishing  mul- 
titudes. 

"  What  had  happened  in  Madras  was  characteristic  in  a 
measure  of  all  the  large  towns  in  the  presidency ;  all  were 
crowded  with  infirm,  sick,  aged,  and  destitute  poor.  At- 
tempts were  made,  unofficially,  to  relieve  these.  The 
collector  of  North  Arcot  reports  that  at  Arconum  the 
European  railway  officials  and  some  of  the  native  com- 
munity '  subscribed  handsomely '  to  provide  a  fund 
whereby  the  poor  might  be  fed  daily.  In  Gudiathum, 
also,  the  natives  of  their  own  accord,  and  without  solicita- 
tion or  advice  from  European  officials,  established  a  relief 
comuiittee.  In  these  places,  however,  as  in  many  others, 
the  relief  committees  merely  paved  the  way  for  the  for- 
mation of  relief  camps,  entirely  supported  by  government 
and  under  official  control." 

But  neither  the  importation  of  grain  by  government 
nor  private  charity  was  at  all  adequate  to  meet  the  exi- 
gencies of  the  hour.  The  country  might  be  full  of  rice, 
but  as  the  people  had  no  money  to  buy,  it  was  of  little 


THE   GREAT   FAMINE   OF    1876-78.  101 

use  to  them.  Hence  government  saw  that  relief  works  on 
a  large  scale  must  be  set  on  foot.  Some  of  these  were 
government  works  already  under  way,  such  as  the  Buck- 
ingham canal  and  unfinished  railways ;  others  were  new 
works  started  expressly  to  furnish  employment  to  those 
able  to  work.  Thus  in  August,  1877,  there  were  on  govern- 
ment relief  works  nine  hundred  and  eighty-three  thousand 
five  hundred  and  five,  while  those  gratuitously  relieved 
were  one  million  one  thousand  five  hundred  and  eighty- 
nine,  making  a  total  of  one  million  nine  hundred  and 
eighty -five  thousand  and  ninety- four  people  fed  by  the 
government  of  Madras  alone.  In  the  Bombay  Presidency 
and  the  native  States  the  same  thing  was  going  on. 

To  the  credit  of  the  government  of  India,  both  the 
local  and  the  supreme,  it  must  be  said  that  although  it 
was  slow  in  waking  up  to  the  great  emergency ;  and  not- 
withstanding the  tiresome,  and  as  some  thought,  senseless 
amount  of  "  red  tape  "  that  had  to  be  observed,  yet  it  dis- 
played an  amount  of  energy  and  resource  that  was  simply 
marvelous,  and  in  every  way  worthy  of  England's  great 
name.  Besides  the  relief  works,  government  opened  ex- 
tensive relief  camps  all  over  the  presidency.  These,  of 
course,  were  located  in  central  places,  so  that  while  vast 
multitudes  of  the  helpless  men,  women,  and  children, 
were  thus  saved,  there  were  still  other  multitudes  far  be- 
yond the  reach  of  those  camps,  that  must  have  perished 
had  not  private  charity  come  to  the  aid  of  government  in 
saving  life. 

As  soon  as  it  became  evident  that  the  northeast  mon- 
soon had  failed,  and  that  a  famine  was  inevitable,  some  of 
our  missionaries,  and  notably  Mr.  Clough,  sent  out  ap- 


102  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

peals  to  England,  America,  and  Burma  for  aid.  To  these 
appeals  many  generous  responses  came,  and  we  were 
thus  enabled  in  some  degree  to  relieve  a  large  number 
till  the  Mansion  House  fund  became  available.  The 
first  response  received  at  Nellore  was  one  hundred  pounds 
from  Deacon  Wilbur,  of  Boston.  Among  the  first  forms 
of  relief  at  Nellore  was  the  organization  of  a  "  relief 
camp  "  on  a  small  scale,  in  the  mission  compound,  for  the 
care  of  starving  children,  under  the  superintendence  of 
Mrs.  Downie,  and  at  the  expense  of  Mr.  Grose,  collector 
of  the  district.  In  this  way  nearly  a  hundred  children 
were  rcd  daily,  and  most  of  them  preserved  alive. 

In  addition  to  gifts  and  loans  from  personal  friends, 
Mr.  Clough  took  a  contract  to  cut  some  four  miles  of  the 
Buckingham  canal  as  a  rehef  work  for  the  Christians  of 
the  Ongole  field  and  their  friends.  By  this  means,  hun- 
dreds and  thousands  were  saved  from  starvation  and 
death.  The  engineer  in  charge  complimented  Mr.  Clough 
for  the  manner  in  which  his  work  was  done.  He  said  : 
"  Of  the  thirty-five  miles  under  my  charge  your  portion 
of  the  canal  is  the  best." 

To  W.  Digby,  Esq.,  then  editor  of  the  "  Madras  Times," 
belongs  the  honor  of  suggesting  the  Mansion  House  fund, 
one  of  the  most  gigantic  pieces  of  spontaneous  charity  the 
world  has  ever  seen.  By  his  persistent  efforts  in  the  face  of 
considerable  indifference,  and  even  opposition,  but  warmly 
supported  by  many  leading  gentlemen  in  Madras,  and 
notably  Sir  William  Robinson,  a  meeting  was  held 
August  4,  1876,  at  which  His  Grace,  the  Governor,  pre- 
sided. The  object  of  the  meeting  was  to  consider  the 
propriety  of  soliciting  aid  from  England.     Resolutions 


THE   GREAT   FAMINE   OF    1876-78.  103 

were  adopted,  and  a  telegram  prepared  and  forwarded  to 
the  Lord  Mayors  of  London,  York,  Manchester,  Dublin^ 
Glasgow,  Edinburgh,  etc.,  asking  for  immediate  aid,  as 
the  distress  was  great. 

When  the  appeal  reached  England,  the  London  Times 
took  the  matter  up,  and  warmly  advocated  it.  The  Man- 
sion House  fund  was  opened,  and  the  first  list  published 
contained  two  d(mations  of  one  thousand  pounds  each,  and 
two  of  five  hundred  pounds. 

In  the  meantime  a  central  committee  had  been  formed 
in  JMadras,  consisting  of  twenty-five  gentlemen,  of  which 
Sir  William  Robinson  was  chosen  chairman  and  Mr. 
William  Digby,  honorary  secretary. 

From  this  central  committee  a  deputation  was  ap- 
pointed to  visit  every  district  and  organize  local  commit- 
tees. As  this  required  considerable  time,  and  people  were 
starving  and  dying  all  around,  the  missionaries  at  Nellore, 
Ongole,  Ramapatam,  and  Kurnool,  were  appointed  its 
agents  for' distributing  relief  in  their  respective  districts. 

When  the  relief  committee  was  formed  at  Ongole,  the 
Rev.  J.  E.  Clough  was  appointed  its  honorary  secretary 
and  treasurer.  In  his  report  to  the  mission,  Mr.  Clough 
wrote:  "Messrs.  Williams,  Loughridge,  and  Newhall 
have  assisted  us.  Altogether  we  have  paid  out,  in  sums 
of  from  a  few  pices  to  six  rupees,  nearly  twenty  thousand 
rupees.  Besides  this  princely  sum  we  have  also  received 
handsome  sums  from  friends  in  Burma,  Assam,  Siam, 
Bengal,  England,  and  America,  all  of  which  have  been 
disbursed  as  requested  by  the  donors." 

The  Nellore  committee  was  organized  with  J.  Grose, 
Esq.,  Collector  of  Nellore,  as  chairman,  and  the  Rev.  D. 


104  HISTORY   OF   THE   TEI.UGU   MISSION. 

Downie,  as  honorary  secretary  and  treasurer.  For  the 
relief  of  Nellore  town,  eight  sub-committees  were  ap- 
pointed, whose  duty  it  was  to  visit  every  family,  ascertain 
the  distress,  and  fix  upon  a  weekly  dole  of  money.  Lists 
were  prepared,  and  according  to  these  lists  the  doles  were 
paid  every  week.  A  similar  committee  was  appointed  for 
each  of  the  Talugs,  but  in  these,  relief  was  given  in  a 
lump  sum  to  each  family  according  to  its  needs.  Some- 
times it  was  for  food,  sometimes  for  seed  grain,  house- 
repairs,  walls,  etc.  Besides  the  general  work  of  secretary 
and  treasurer,  the  missionary  was  chairman  of  one  of  the 
sub-committees. 

A  famine  in  India  means  total- ruin  to  that  large  and 
industrious  class,  the  small  farmers^  who  depend  upon 
the  cultivation  of  their  little  patches  of  land  for  a  living. 
Not  only  did  they  suffer  from  the  loss  of  their  crops,  but 
by  1877  many  of  them  had  lost  their  cattle  also.  For  a 
time  the  poor  cattle  were  kept  alive  on  weeds,  leaves, 
prickly-pear,  etc.,  and  finally  the  thatch  of  the  people's 
huts  was  taken  from  the  houses  and  given  them.  In 
many  cases  the  cattle  were  sent  adrift  to  find  food  as  they 
could,  or  given  away  to  any  one  who  would  feed  them. 
For  this  class,  the  form  of  relief  usually  was  a  sum  of 
money  for  the  purchase  of  seed-grain  or  bullocks  or  to 
dig  a  well,  and  to  re-cover  their  huts. 

Another  large  class  that  was  among  the  first  to  suffer 
and  the  hist  to  recover  from  the  effects  of  the  famine  was 
comprised  of  the  weavers  and  shoemakers.  The  weavers, 
especially,  were  great  sufferers.  There  were  six  hundred 
thousand  of  them,  exclusive  of  families  in  the  presidency, 
and  their  condition  speedily  became  very  bad.    All  custom 


THE   GREAT   FAMINE   OF    1876-78.  105 

was  gone  and  they  were  literally  without  the  means  of  se- 
curing a  livelihood.  In  Nellore,  we  purchased  for  this  class 
ten  thousand  rupees'  worth  of  thread,  which  was  w^oven 
into  cloths  and  brought  into  the  town.  For  their  work 
they  received  about  one-half  more  than  the  usual  rate 
and  this  was  all  the  relief  they  obtained.  Of  the  many 
thousands  of  cases  in  which  the  writer  advanced  money 
or  thread,  he  does  not  remember  a  single  one  in  which 
the  cloths  were  not  returned.  These  cloths  were  usually 
distributed  to  the  destitute  women  and  children. 

At  one  time,  when  fever  was  raging,  ten  thousand 
blankets  were  purchased  and  distributed  at  an  expense  of 
ten  thousand  rupees.  Large  quantities  of  quinine  and 
febrifuge  were  bought  and  distributed.  For  months  the 
mission  house  and  compound  seemed  more  like  a  mer- 
chant's establishment  than  a  mission. 

In  Nellore,  two  day  nurseries  were  opened  under  the 
supervision  of  Mrs.  Grose,  Mrs.  Simpson,  and  Mrs. 
Downie.  Two  meals  a  day  were  served  to  emaciated  and 
starving  children,  and  women  who  had  babies.  In  each 
of  these  nurseries  some  four  hundred  children  were  fed 
daily  for  seven  months.  Among  the  many  forms  of 
relief,  there  were  perhaps  none  that  were  so  much  needed, 
none  that  were  regarded  with  more  favor,  none  more  suc- 
cessful, and  none  more  economically  managed.  The 
average  cost  of  feeding  a  child  was  about  eight  pices  or 
two  cents  a  day.  The  average  death  rate  was  also  smaller 
than  almost  any^vhere  else.  A  few  were  too  far  gone 
when  admitted  to  recover,  but  the  great  majority  were 
preserved  alive.  It  was  a  heart-touching  sight  to  see  the 
poor  little  skeletons  as  they  appeared  when  first  brought 


106  HISTOI-Y    OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

in.  A  few  spoonfuls  of  milk  or  cunjee  was  all  that  they 
could  stand  at  first,  but  they  soon  were  able  to  eat  their 
accustomed  rice  and  curry. 

The  Nellore  committee  received  two  grants  aggregating 
two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  rupees.  Of  this  sum  the 
missionary  distributed  with  his  own  hand  direct  to  the 
people  relieved  thirty  thousand  rupees.  In  addition  to 
this  he  received  six  hundred  rupees  through  Mr.  Digby 
from  the  Baptists  of  England,  seven  hundred  rupees  from 
the  "Merrill  fund,"  Boston,  and  many  smaller  sums 
through  the  Society's  treasurer,  from  personal  friends  in 
America. 

As  a  mission  we  do  not  claim  to  have  been  exceptional 
in  our  efforts  to  save  life  and  relieve  distress.  When  in 
1877  the  Government  of  India  said:  "We  say  that 
human  life  should  be  saved  at  any  cost  and  eflTort,"  we 
believe  no  body  of  men  entered  more  heartily  into  that 
sentiment  than  the  missionaries.  At  the  closing  meeting 
of  the  central  committee  in  Madras,  ]Mr.  Digby  said : 
"Among  the  most  valued  agents  of  the  committee  have  been 
the  missionaries  of  all  creeds  who  have  been,  in  many 
cases,  the  only  available  means  by  which  the  suffering 
could  be  reached.  In  some  cases  several  months  have 
been  devoted  exclusively  to  this  work,  and  the  mission- 
aries have  lived  for  weeks  together  among  the  people, 
traveling  from  village  to  village  personally  inquiring  into 
cases  of  distress  and  relieving  wants  with  their  own 
hands." 

It  is  difficult  to  estimate  the  actual  cost  of  the  famine. 
The  loss  of  revenue  was  of  course  enormous,  but  how  far 
that  has  been  recovered  we  have  no  means  of  knowing. 


THE   GREAT   FAMINE   OF   1876-78.  107 

The  government  expended  in  relief  works  eleven  million 
pounds ;  but  how  far  the  money  thus  expended  was  on 
necessary  and  hence  profitable  works  that  will  eventually 
repay  their  cost,  we  do  not  know.  But  the  receipts  and 
expenditures  of  the  Mansion  House  fund,  which  was  a 
pure  gratuitous  charity,  we  know. 

The  total  subscriptions  from  England,  Scotland,  Aus- 
tralia, and  other  Colonies,  were  six  hundred  and  seventy- 
eight  thousand  five  hundred  and  twelve  pounds ;  from 
India,  twenty-six  thousand  and  twenty-six  rupees,  making 
a  grand  total  of  seven  million  nine  hundred  and  seventy- 
nine  thousand  three  hundred  and  fifty  rupees.  And  yet 
with  all  this  expenditure,  and  the  humane  efibrts  of  those 
engaged  in  distributing  the  relief,  more  than  three  million 
human  beings  perished  either  directly  of  starvation  or 
from  diseases  caused  by  the  famine. 

It  has  often  been  said  that  the  natives  are  strangers  to 
the  sense  of  gratitude.  No  one  who  engaged  in  famine 
relief  and  who  values  truth  will  say  so.  On  this  point 
the  Rev.  T.  P.  Adolphus  says :  "  On  the  part  of  the 
recipients  of  the  bounty,  the  most  heartfelt  expressions  of 
gratitude  have  been  addressed  to  me,  and  every  possible 
outward  token,  indicative  of  the  inward  feeling,  exhibited 
both  by  Hindu  and  by  Mussulman,  by  male  as  well  as  by 
female." 

It  was  a  native  gentleman  who  at  the  closing  meeting 
in  Madras  said :  "  On  behalf  of  my  countrymen  generally, 
and  on  behalf  of  the  distressed  famine-stricken  of  South 
India  especially,  to  whom  English  charity  came  like 
Bweet  water  to  men  dying  of  thirst,  whose  drooping  spirits 
— nay,  ebbing  life  were  resuscitated  by  the  timely  and 


108  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

kindly  help,  and  enabled  them  to  preserve  themselves 
and  their  children,  to  rebuild  their  huts,  to  sow  their 
fields  and  reap  a  harvest  when  they  despaired  of  living 
to  see  another — on  behalf  of  millions  of  such  of  my 
countrymen,  I  now  express  their  most  grateM  thanks." 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE   GREAT   INGATHERING. 

The  famine  and  accessions.  Mr.  Clough's  canal  contract.  Combining  work 
with  Christian  teaching.  Effect  upon  the  coolies.  Theinflueuce  of  helpful- 
ness. Baptisms  deferred  Larger  accessions.  One  day's  baptisms.  Reason- 
ableness of  the  Pentecostal  addition.  Doubts  expressed  as  to  this  Telugu 
ingathering.  Mr.  Clough'o  views.  Delay  of  converts  seemingly  impossible. 
Efforts  to  keep  them  back.  These  unsuccessful.  Baptism  alone  asked  for 
by  the  multitudes.  The  request  acceded  to.  In  the  Ramapatam  field. 
The  famine  relief  funds  not  alone  the  procuring  cau<e.  The  movement  of 
God,  Departure  of  Mrs.  Clough  and  her  children  from  Ongole.  Her 
efficiency.  A  destructive  cyclone.  Devastation  at  Ongole.  Energetic 
restoration.  Royal  visitors.  Native  steadfastness.  Mr.  Clough's  testimony 
thereto. 

IT  is  useless  to  deny  that  there  was  a  very  close  con- 
nection between  the  famine  and  the  large  accessions 
which  followed  it.  We  do  not  say  that  the  relation  was 
that  of  cause  and  effect,  for  in  that  case  we  should  have 
to  account  for  the  fact  that  in  many  places  there  was  the 
cause  but  no  corresponding  effect.  But  that  the  famine 
was  one  of  the  links  in  the  chain  of  causes,  we  have  no 
more  doubt  than  we  have  that  the  famine  in  Egypt  was 
one  of  the  steps  in  Joseph's  elevation  to  the  governorshij3, 
and  his  consequent  blessing  to  his  own  people. 

The  simple  facts  in  the  case  were  these :  In  addition 
to  the  distribution  of  famine  relief  funds  all  over  his 
field,  amounting  to  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  more 
or  less,  Mr.  Clough  took  a  contract  to  cut  three  and  one- 
half  miles  of  the  Buckingham  canal,  which  government 
was  digging  as  a  famine  relief  work.     Mr.  Clough's  sole 

109 


110  HISTOEY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

object  in  undertaking  this  work  was  to  find  employment 
for  bis  Christians  and  other  poor  people  in  his  field. 
Quitting  all  other  work  fi)r  the  time,  he  appointed  his 
preachers,  teachers,  colporteurs,  and  others,  as  his  overseers. 
During  the  intervals  of  rest  these  preachers  gathered  the 
people  together  and  preached  to  them  about  the  great 
salvation.  In  this  work  the  missionary  encouraged  them 
and  engaged  himself  as  far  as  he  could  find  time.  Thus 
for  months  thousands  of  coolies  were  brought  into  close 
contact  with  Christians  of  their  own  class,  with  the 
preachers  from  whom  many  of  them  had  no  doubt  heard 
the  gospel  for  years  in  their  own  villages,  and  with  the 
missionary  who  they  knew  was  striving  to  save  their 
bodies  from  starvation  as  well  as  their  souls  from  death. 
The  coolies  were  frequently  changed.  Some,  after  gather- 
ing a  few  rupees,  would  start  ofi"  to  their  villages  and 
others  would  take  their  places  on  the  work.  And  thus  it 
came  about  that  a  great  many  thousands  were  brought 
under  this  influence  of  Christianity,  and  at  a  time  when 
they  were  peculiarly  susceptible  to  its  influence.  Now 
what  wonder  if,  under  such  circumstances,  multitudes 
were  impressed  with  the  truths  of  Christianity  ?  They 
saw  that  Christians  gave  freely  of  their  money  to  save 
them  from  starvation.  They  had  never  received  such 
treatment  from  their  Hindu  countrymen,  and  especially 
from  the  Brahmans,  who  were  their  religious  teachers. 
But  now  they  saw,  chief  of  all,  the  missionary  distribut- 
ing relief  everywhere  and  to  all  classes  alike  who  needed 
help.  What  wonder  if  their  conclusion  was  that  the 
religion  which  leads  men  to  act  so  must  be  true  ? 

But  to  avoid  receiving  members  into  the  church  with 


THE   GRKAT   INGATHERING.  Ill 

no  higher  motives  than  the  pecuniary  benefits  referred  to, 
all  applications  for  baptism  were  denied  during  the  fifteen 
months  in  wliicli  the  missionary  and  his  assistants  were 
engaged  in  relief  work.  Not  till  all  this  was  ended,  and 
there  was  no  more  hope  of  any  further  relief,  were  appli- 
cations for  baptism  entertained.  Then,  however,  the  mis- 
sionary and  his  assistants  saw  no  reason  why  they  should 
longer  refuse  to  baptize  those  whom  they  believed  God 
had  saved.  They  therefore  commenced  baptizing  on  the 
sixteenth  of  June,  and  by  the  end  of  December  had  bap- 
tized on  profession  of  their  faith  in  Christ,  nine  thousand 
six  hundred  and  six  converts,  making  the  totai  member- 
ship of  the  Ongole  Church,  twelve  thousand  and  four. 

The  largest  number  baptized  in  any  one  day  was  two 
thousand  two  hundred  and  twenty-two,  which  comes  so 
near  to  the  three  thousand  added  to  the  church  on  the 
day  of  Pentecost  as  to  demand  special  mention.  It  was 
the  third  of  July,  1878.  The  baptistery  was  the  Gund- 
lacumma  river  at  a  place  called  Velumpilly,  on  the 
Northern  Trunk  Road,  about  ten  miles  north  of  Ongole. 
There  is  no  bridge,  but  a  sort  of  causeway  over  which 
carts  may  pass  when  the  water  is  not  too  deep.  The  river 
at  the  time  was  not  full,  but  on  either  side  of  the  cause- 
way the  water  was  sufficiently  deep  for  the  ordinance,  and 
the  candidates  had  to  take  but  a  step  or  two  from  the 
banks  to  reach  the  administrator.  The  examination  of 
the  candidates  had  been  held  on  the  previous  days.  The 
converts  were  arranged  on  the  bank  on  both  sides  of  the 
causeway  and  men  appointed  to  lead  them  in  and  out  of 
the  water.  At  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  two  ordained 
native  preachers  took   their  places  in  the  water,  one  on 


112  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGTJ   MISSION. 

either  side  of  the  causeway.  Prayer  was  offered  and  the 
baptizing  commenced.  When  these  two  administrators 
became  tired,  two  others  took  their  places,  and  they  in 
turn  were  relieved  by  still  other  two.  At  eleven  the  work 
stopped  for  the  usual  mid-day  meal  and  rest.  It  was 
resumed  at  two,  and  about  five  o'clock  the  two  thousand 
two  hundred  and  twenty-two  converts  had  been  "  buried 
with  Christ  in  baptism  "  by  six  men,  only  two  of  them 
officiating  at  the  same  time.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  it 
occupied  the  time  of  two  men  for  about  eight  hours.  Had 
the  six  officiated  at  the  same  time,  it  would  have  occupied 
about  two^hours  and  forty  minutes.  If  six  Telugu  minis- 
ters can  baptize  two  thousand  two  hundred  and  twenty- 
two  converts  in  two  hours  and  forty  minutes,  how  long 
would  it  take  twelve  apostles  to  baptize  three  thousand 
under  similar  circumstances  ?  Just  one  hour  and  forty 
minutes.  Granting  that  the  circumstances  were  not 
equally  favorable,  and  that  some  had  to  go  to  one  pool  and 
some  to  others,  is  not  this  question  of  the  time  required 
too  absurd  to  call  for  serious  notice  ? 

When  the  report  of  these  large  accessions  got  abroad 
there  was,  as  might  be  expected,  a  good  deal  of  surprise 
and  doubt  expressed  as  to  the  expediency  of  baptizing 
such  crowds  of  poor,  ignorant  people,  with  little  or  no 
previous  instruction,  except  that  they  had  heard  the  gospel 
preached  for  a  longer  or  shorter  time.  And  to  many  it 
seemed  especially  hazardous  to  receive  them  so  soon  after 
the  distribution  of  such  large  sums  of  famine  relief  money. 
But  on  the  other  hand,  while  Mr.  Clough  appears  to  have 
anticipated  such  doubts  and  objections,  and  appears  to 
have  made  every  possible  effort  to  delay  the  baptisms, — 


THE   GUEAT    INGATHERING.  113 

especially  in  large  numbers, — yet  he  expresses  tff^  firmest 
conviction  on  the  part  of  himself  and  his  assistants  that 
the  converts  were  genuine  believers,  and  that  the  work  was 
of  God.  But  on  this  point  we  sijall  let  Mr.  Clough  speak 
for  himself  In  his  annual  report  for  1878,  after  review- 
ing the  "  spiritual  outlook  "  and  the  effect  of  the  famine 
on  the  religious  beliefs  of  the  Hindus,  the  application  of 
large  numbers  for  baptism  and  of  postponing  them  for 
fifteen  months  lest  some  might  be  seeking  more  money 
rather  than  spiritual  blessings,  he  says : 

"  By  the  end  of  May  we  had  closed  the  relief  opera- 
tions in  Ongole  and  throughout  this  section,  except  for 
destitute  orphans  and  for  seed-grain  to  small  ryots  [farm- 
ers] who  actually  owned  land,  and  piobably  without 
help  could  not  procure  seed.  For  fifteen  months  (from 
March  11,  1877,  to  June  16,  1878,)  we  had  not  baptized 
a  single  person.  Some  here  in  Ongole,  and  about  Ongole, 
whom  I  had  known  personally  for  ten  or  twelve  years, 
1  was  fully  convinced  were  new  creatures  in  Christ  Jesus, 
and  it  seemed  to  me  duty  to  baptize  them.  I  felt  that  I 
must,  or  fail  to  please  Jesus.  June  16th  we  "raised  the 
gate " ;  but,  when  it  was  up,  we  found  it  impossible, 
according  to  our  sense  of  duty,  to  shut  it  do'^n  again. 
In  fact,  to  own  the  truth,  I  feared  to  do  so.  I  felt  that 
tho^e  whom  I,  or  trustworthy  assistants  and  well-known 
church-members,  had  known  for  months  or  longer, 
and  who  gave  evidence  that  they  had  not  only  left 
idolatry,  but  also  believed  in  Jesus  as  their  Saviour, 
must  be  baptized,  or  that  I  must  throw  up  my  com- 
mission, and  get  out  of  the  way :  of  course,  I  had  no 
idea  of  doing  either.     I  only  wanted  to  keep  the  multi- 

u 


114  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

tude  of^onverts  off  two  or  three  months  longer,  that  all 
the  friends  of  missions  might  be  free  from  doubts,  although 
personally,  I  had  been  convinced  for  above  a  year  that  the 
work  was  of  God.  But  to  delay  was  impossible,  for  God's 
time  had  fully  come  to  glorify  himself. 

"  The  first  Sunday  in  July  was  to  be  our  bi-monthly 
meeting  ;  but  I  wished  to  keep  as  many  out  of  Ongole  as 
I  could.  Small-pox  was  prevalent  in  many  villages.  The 
tom-toms  had  been  beaten  time  and  again,  by  order 
of  government  ofiicials,  warning  all  villagers  to  go  to 
their  homes,  as  neither  government  nor  the  Mansion 
House  committee  could  do  any  more  for  them.  The  town 
was  very  dirty,  and  the  fear  of  small-pox  or  epidemic 
cholera  was  considerable :  hence  I  wrote  letters,  and  sent 
them  to  all  the  native  preachers,  telling  them  to  leave  the 
wives  and  children  at  home,  not  to  allow  a  single  Chris- 
tian, unless  now  and  then  one  or  two  of  the  leadino;  mem- 
bers who  had  urgent  requests  to  make,  to  come  with 
them,  and  to  meet  me  at  Velumpilly,  the  first  station  north 
of  Ongole,  on  the  Gundlacumma  river,  ten  miles  distant. 
I  told  them  the  fear  Ongoleans  were  in,  and  that  in  the 
villages  on  the  way  small-pox  was  very  bad,  etc. :  hence 
this  order  I  had  given  them  would,  if  obeyed,  result  in 
good  only,  while  to  disregard  it  might  scatter  this  con- 
tagious disease  far  and  wide,  and  cause  the  death  of 
many.  Notwithstanding  my  letters  and  the  efforts  of  the 
preachers,  the  converts  would  not  stop  behind.  As  soon 
as  the  preacher  had  been  gone  a  few  hours,  the  converts 
up  and  followed. 

"  The  first  preachers  that  arrived  at  Velumpilly  wrote 
to  me  that  they  had  done  their  best  to  follow  the  requests 


THE   GREAT   INGATnERING.  115 

made  in  my  circular,  but  that  the  converts  had  not  obeyed 
them,  but  were  coming  in  crowds  from  every  side.  I 
hastened  oif,  and  hoped  to  get  most  to  go  back  to  their 
homes  for  the  present.  It  could  not  be  done  without  tak- 
ing too  much  responsibility.  The  multitude  one  and  all 
said,  through  their  leading  men  and  preachers,  '  We  don't 
want  any  money ;  we  will  not  ask  you  for  any,  either 
directly  or  indirectly,  either  now  or  hereafter.'  Only  a  few 
had  ever  been  assisted,  except  by  their  pay  for  their  work 
when  on  the  canal ;  and  said  they,  'As  we  have  lived  thus 
far  by  our  work, — by  the  blisters  on  our  hands  we  can 
prove  this  to  you, — so  we  will  continue  to  live,  or,  if  we 
die,  we  shall  die ;  but  we  want  you  to  baptize  us.' 

"  We  held  a  special  service ;  and,  after  much  prayer 
and  consideration,  we  decided  to  baptize  any  and  all  who 
had  given  to  the  preachers  evidence  extending  over  some 
months  that  they  were  Christians,  and  who  had  an  intelli- 
gent understanding  of  the  main  facts  of  the  Christian 
religion.  The  evidence  cf  the  preachers,  with  that  of  the 
leading  members  of  the  church  in  their  localities  who  had 
been  baptized  years  ago,  or  other  reliable  information 
concerning  their  change  of  heart,  was  decided  to  be  suffi- 
cient. The  result  was  the  baptism  of  three  thousand  five 
hundred  and  thirty-six  in  three  days." 

In  the  Kamapatam  field,  lying  between  Ongole  and 
Nellore,  there  was  no  such  general  movement,  yet  over 
six  hundred  were  baptized  during  the  same  time.  In 
Nellore,  where  almost  as  much  relief  work  was  done  by 
the  missionai-y  as  was  done  at  Ongole,  excepting  the  canal 
contract,  the  movement  was  scarcely  felt.  This  is  signi- 
ficant, and  goes  against  the  idea  that  it  was  wholly  a  result 


116  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

of  the  famine.  The  famiue  may  have  heen  and  probably 
was  the  immediate  cause  of  this  great  movement,  j  ust  as 
the  financial  crisis  in  the  United  States  in  1857  was  the  im- 
mediate cause  of  the  great  revival  that  swept  all  over  the 
land.  But  we  prefer  to  say  that  God  used  not  only  the 
famine,  but  the  preaching  and  the  praying  and  the  whole 
combination  of  circumstances,  to  lead  the  people  to  cast 
away  their  idols,  embrace  the  new  religion,  and  devote 
their  lives  to  the, service  of  the  living  God. 

Perhaps  the  most  memorable  event  in  the  Ongole 
Station  in  1879,  was  the  departure  of  Mrs.  Clough  and  her 
children  for  America.  After  five  of  the  most  trying  years 
in  the  history  of  the  mission,  Mrs.  Clough's  health  broke 
down,  and  it  became  evident  to  all  that  she  must  return 
home,  if  her  life  was  to  be  preserved.  All  through  the 
terrible  famine,  and  the  subsequent  and  almost  equally 
terrible  siege  of  cholera,  Mrs.  Clough  stood  resolutely  at 
her  post,  ministering  to  the  famished  and  plague-stricken 
people,  and  in  her  own  quiet  but  effectual  manner,  assist- 
ing her  husband  in  every  good  word  and  work.  It  is  no 
disparagement  to  Mr.  Clough  to  say  that  much  of  his 
grand  success  was  due  to  the  faithful  and  devoted  help- 
meet he  had  in  Mrs.  Clough.  Mr.  Clough  accompanied 
his  family  as  far  as  England,  leaving  Madras  May  13th, 
and  after  seeing  them  safely  on  board  a  steamer  for  New 
York,  returned  to  his  work,  reaching  Ongole  on  the  15th 
of  August. 

During  Mr.  Clough's  absence,  the  station  was  in  charge 
of  Rev.  W.  B.  Boggs,  who  arrived  in  Madras,  January 
18, 1879,  and  proceeded  direct  to  Ongole,  and  successfully 
carried  on  the  work  till  Mr.  Clough's  return. 


THE   GIIEAT   INGATHERING.  117 

In  November,  a  destructive  cyclone  visited  Ongole,  do- 
ing much  damage  to  the  mission  property.  Mr.  Clough, 
believing  the  monsoon  to  be  over,  had  started  on  an  evan- 
gelistic tour  expecting  to  be  gone  a  month.  Pie  had 
reached  his  second  halting  place,  some  fifteen  miles  north 
of  Ongole,  when  the  cyclone  reached  him.  It  was  on  the 
19th,  about  one  o'clock  in  the  morning.  By  three  o'clock 
the  wind  was  terrific  and  the  rain  came  down  in  torrents. 
Trees  were  torn  up  by  the  roots,  or  broken  off,  and  the 
branches  were  flying  about  ia  all  directions.  The  tent 
was  in  danger  of  being  torn  to  pieces,  so  it  was  hastily  let 
down,  and  left  in  the  rain  and  mud,  while  Mr.  Clough 
and  his  helpers  betook  themselves  to  a  village  near  by, 
where  they  found  refuge  in  a  cow  shed  where  they  re- 
mained till  the  morning  of  the  20th.  They  succeeded  in 
repitching  the  tent,  and  were  getting  their  clothes  dried 
and  things  set  to  rights,  when  a  messenger  from  Mr.  Boggs 
came  announcing  a  terrible  state  of  affairs  at  Ongole. 
This  decided  Mr.  Clough  to  return  to  Ongole  at  once. 

It  was  sad  to  see  the  work  of  so  many  years  destroyed 
in  a  few  hours.  Most  of  the  school  dormitories  and 
native  houses  were  either  destroyed  or  badly  injured. 
Many  of  the  shade  trees  vrere  blown  down,  and  altogether 
the  two  Ongole  compounds  presented  a  sorry  sight.  But 
like  many  another  calamity  it  might  have  been  a  great 
deal  worse.  There  was  nothing  to  be  done  but  clear  up 
the  place  and  rebuild  as  fast  as  possible. 

It  is  not  often  that  missionaries  are  favored  with  royal 
visitors,  but  in  January,  1880,  the  Duke  of  Buckingham, 
cousin  of  Queen  Victoria,  then  Governor  of  Madras,  vis- 
ited the  Nellore  District.     While  in  Nellore  a  visit  to  the 


118  HISTORY    OF   THE    TELUGU    MISSIOX. 

mission  had  been  arranged,  but  was  broken  up  by  a  sup- 
posed case  of  small-pox  in  the  compound.  At  Ongole, 
however,  a  visit  was  paid  to  the  mission,  which  was  much 
enjoyed  both  by  the  royal  party  and  the  missionaries. 
Before  leaving.  His  Grace  seeing  the  devastation  that 
had  been  made  by  the  cyclone  asked  permission  to  re- 
build two  of  the  dormitories,  and  handed  Mr.  Boggs  a 
check  for  four  hundred  rupees  for  the  purpose. 

No  one  expected  that  of  all  the  vast  multitude 
gathered  into  the  church  since  1878  there  would  be  none 
who  w^ould  fall  away.  Indeed,  the  wonder  would  be  that 
in  such  a  harvest  there  were  not  a  good  many  tares 
gathered  with  the  wheat.  But  according  to  the  testi- 
mony of  the  missionary  the  tares  seem  to  have  been  very 
few  indeed.  The  following  extract  from  a  letter  written 
by  Mr.  Clough,  dated  April  1, 1880,  will  show  how  he 
found  the  Christians  whose  villages  he  visited  two  years 
after  the  baptisms :  "  On  account  of  the  famine  and 
multiplicity  of  station  work  after  the  ingathering  of  1878, 
the  itinerating  work  of  the  Ongole  field  had  been  neg- 
lected. On  the  17th  of  January  I  started  on  an  evan- 
gelistic tour.  I  was  absent  from  Ongole  just  two  months. 
I  visited  ninety-eight  villages  where  our  people  live  ;  saw 
delegates  from  perhaps  one  hundred  other  villages  and 
baptized  one  thousand  and  sixty-eight  persons  on  pro- 
fession of  their  faith  in  Christ.  I  never  had  sucli 
hearing  before  ....  In  five  or  six  villages  the  Chris- 
tians were  doing  badly.  In  one  village  five  persons  were 
excluded  for  contracting  infant  marriages.  In  two  vil- 
lages two  were  excluded  for  adultery ;  and  in  another 
village  eleven  were  excluded  because  they  confessed  that 


THE    GRSAT    INGATHERING.  119 

they  had  deceived  us  when  they  were  baptized  ....  In 
all  the  other  villages  we  felt  daily  that  the  need  of  more 
preachers  and  teachers  was  great,  and  that  for  the  want  of 
teaching  the  Christians  had  fallen  into  some  errors  in 
some  places  ....  On  the  whole,  I  fully  believe  that  the 
great  mass  of  converts  are  living  as  well  as  they  know, 
and  that  after  we  are  aide  to  teach  them  more  fully  and 
give  them  pastors,  they  will  become  strong  men  and 
women  in  Christ  Jesus." 

This  is  certainly  an  excellent  testimony  from  one  who 
knows  the  field  and  the  people  as  no  other  man  does.  Even 
after  making  all  due  allowance  for  the  fact  that  these 
people  cling  to  Mr.  Clough  as  children  to  a  father,  and 
that  he  exerts  over  them  a  powerful  and  magnetic  in- 
fluence, it  is  simply  marvelous  that  after  two  years  of 
very  imperfect  watchcare  so  few  had  to  be  excluded 
from  such  a  vast  mass  of  poor,  ignorant  Christians. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

RESULTS   OF   THE    GREAT   REVIVAL. 

An  interesting  incident.  An  eventful  service.  Ordination  of  native  preach- 
ers. Excellence  of  the  candidates.  Sermon  by  Mr.  Dowuie.  Parts  per- 
formed by  native  preachers.  Accession  to  the  mission  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Manley.  Death  of  "Obuhi."  Dr.  S.  F.  Smith's  visit.  A  demand  for 
schools.  Christianity  compelling  schools.  Establishment  of  schools  in  the 
Ongole  field.  The  Ongole  High  School.  Mr.  Manley's  report.  Difficult 
examinations.  Success  of  candidates.  The  staflF  of  teachers.  The  arrange- 
ment of  primary  instruction.  Dlffeieut  classes  of  scholars.  The  needs  of 
the  school.  The  Christian  influence  of  the  school.  Elevation  of  the  school 
to  the  gradj  of  a  college.  The  vastness  of  the  Ongole  field.  The  field 
divided.  New  stations.  A  trip  to  the  United  States  for  Dr.  Clough.  Pre- 
senting the  mission's  needs.  Early  death  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ravi.  The 
work  of  the  woman's  society  at  Ongole.  Other  large  accessions.  Death  of 
Mr.  Edward  A.  Kelly.  Dr.  Mabie's  visit  again.  Baptisms  by  him  and  his 
companion.  The  accessions  mainly  from  the  non-caste  Madigas.  Tendency 
ol  other  classes  toward  Christianity.  Probability  of  increase  in  the  move 
ment.  The  caste  people.  Rest  for  Dr.Clough.  Helpers  during  his  absence. 
An  additional  force  for  the  high  school.  Suggestions  as  to  the  work  at 
Ongole.  Danger  of  unworthy  motives.  False  influences  among  the  Chris- 
tians. Possible  disaster  through  change  of  leaders.  Need  of  doctrinal 
training.  Another  subdivision  of  the  mission  needed.  Reorganization  of 
the  churches.  A  larger  staff  of  missionaries.  Responsibility  of  the  home 
churches. 

l^EXT  to  tlie  baptism  of  two  thousand  two  hundred 
Xl  and  twenty-two  converts  on  a  single  day,  the  most 
interesting  incident  in  connection  with  the  great  ingather- 
ing was  the  ordination  of  twenty-four  native  ministers  on 
the  16th  of  April,  1880.  The  following  account  of  ifc  is 
given  by  Mr.  Boggs :  "  According  to  appointment  the 
preachers,  teachers,  helpers,  Bible-women,  etc.,  connected 
with  the  Ongole  mission,  assembled  here  on  Saturday, 
120 


RKSULTS   OF   THE    GREAT   JIEVIVAL.  1  J  1 

the  10th  iiist.,  at  the  regular  quarterly  meeting.  They 
had  not  been  in  since  the  hitter  part  of  December,  and 
there  was  much  of  interest  to  report  and  to  hear. 

"On  Sunday,  April  11th,  a  very  large  congregation 
gathered  to  commemorate  the  Saviour's  death,  and  to 
hear  the  word  of  truth.  There  were  probably  not  less  than 
a  thousand  persons  present.  Mr.  Clough  preached  from 
Gen.  18  :  14, ' Is  anything  too  hard  for  the  Lord? '  The 
afternoon  was  devoted  to  the  examination  of  candidates 
for  baptism  ;  the  preachers  under  whose  labors  these  peo- 
ple had  heard  and  believed  the  gospel  were  all  present, 
and  gave  evidence  concerning  them  all.  The  result  was 
that  one  hundred  and  eighty-seven  were  received,  and  at 
6  p.  M.,  I  baptized  them.  The  next  day  seventeen  more 
were  received,  and  were  baptized  in  the  evening  by  Bro. 
Price,  making  one  thousand  two  hundred  and  ninety-five 
baptized  in  the  Ongole  field  since  January  1. 

"  It  had  been  felt  for  some  time  that  a  considerable 
number  of  the  native  preachers  connected  with  this  sta- 
tion were  worthy  of  full  recognition  as  ministers  of  the 
gospel.  It  also  seemed  evident  that  the  time  had  arrived 
for  the  organization  of  separate  churches  m  all  the  im- 
portant places  where  rhe  number  of  disciples  was  sufiicient 
to  justify  it;  and  on  this  account  also  the  ordination  of 
these  men  seemed  desirable.  In  response  to  a  call  from 
the  Ongole  Church,  a  council  convened  at  Ongole,  April 
14—16,  to  consider  the  propriety  of  formally  setting  apart 
to  the  w^ork  of  the  gospel  ministry  a  number  of  native 
preachers  laboring  in  this  field.  Rev.  D.  Downie  of 
Nellore,  and  Rev.  R.  R.  Williams  of  Ramapatam,  with 
native  delegates  from  each  place,  were  present,  besides 


122  HISTORY    OF   THE    TELUGU   MISSION. 

the  Ongole  missionaries  and  native  brethren.  There  were 
previously  seven  ordained  native  preachers  in  the  Onsjole 
field.  The  council  was  organized  by  the  choice  of  Bro. 
Williams  as  moderator,  and  M.  Ezra  (ordained  native 
preacher)  as  clerk. 

"  The  examination  was  close  and  deliberate,  and  occu- 
pied two  days  and  a  half.  It  embraced,  as  usual,  the  im- 
portant points  of  conversion  and  call  to  the  ministry, 
and  an  outline  of  Christian  doctrine  ;  many  testing  ques- 
tions were  asked  both  by  the  missionaries  and  native  dele- 
gates, and  the  answers  were  generally  very  satisfactory. 
Their  knowledge  of  Christian  doctrine  seemed  surprising, 
especially  after  hearing  each  one  of  them,  in  relating  his 
experience,  speak  of  the  time,  only  a  few  years  back,  when 
he  was  worshiping  idols,  and  was  in  utter  ignorance  of 
the  true  God  and  the  w^ay  of  life. 

"  The  result  was  that  twenty-four  of  the  best,  most  ex- 
perienced, and  successful  preachers  connected  with  the 
Ongole  station  were  considered  worthy  of  the  confidence 
implied  in  this  act  of  public  recognition.  They  are  men 
who  for  years  have  faithfully,  consistently,  zealously, 
and  with  abundant  fruits  proclaimed  the  gospel  of  Jesus, 
and  cared  for  the  flocks  over  which  they  have  been 
placed.  Several  of  them  have  enjoyed  the  advantage 
of  a  four  years'  course  at  the  seminary  at  Ramapatam. 
These  men  will  continue  to  labor  in  the  same  fields  where 
they  have  already  been  so  useful,  and  continue  to  feed 
the  flocks  which  have  been  gathered  largely  through 
their  instrumentality. 

"A  large  congregation  assembled  in  the  spacious 
Ongole  chapel  on  the  afternoon  of  the  16th.   Mr.  Downie 


RESULTS   OF   THE    GREAT    REVIVAL.  123 

preached  the  ordination  sermon  from  1  Tim.  4  :  15, 
*  Meditate  upon  these  things ;  give  thyself  wholly  to  them ; 
that  thy  profiting  may  appear  to  all.'  It  was  a  condensed 
discourse,  containing  much  truth  in  few  words.  Mr. 
Williams  delivered  an  earnest  charge,  in  which  he  ad- 
dressed both  the  people  and  the  candidates  on  their 
respective  responsibilities  and  duties.  Then  the  twenty- 
four  all  knelt,  and  the  hands  of  the  presbytery  were  laid 
on  them  while  the  ordaining  prayer  was  offered  by  Rev. 
N.  Canakiah  of  Nellore ;  after  which  the  benediction  was 
pronounced  by  Yerragoontla  Periah,  the  oldest  man 
among  those  just  ordained,  and  the  spiritual  father  of  a 
multitude  of  children." 

At  the  beginning  of  the  year  the  Rev.  W.  I.  Price 
arrived  from  America  to  join  the  mission,  but  after  a 
fcAV  months  he  retired  from  this  station,  feeling  that  duty 
called  him  to  labor  elsewhere.  The  vacancy,  however, 
Avas  soon  supplied  by  the  arrival  in  August  of  the  Rev. 
W.  R.  Manley  and  wdfe,  from  Burma,  who  had  been 
connected  with  the  Telugu  mission  work  in  Rangoon  for 
the  previous  six  months.  M.  Obulu,  "  a  good  minister  of 
Jesus  Christ,"  was  called  to  his  rest  September  5th.  His 
death  was  a  great  loss  to  the  Ongole  field. 

On  the  8th  of  March,  1881,  after  visiting  Nellore, 
Alloor,  and  Ramapatam,  Dr.  S.  F.  Smith  and  Mrs. 
Smith,  paid  a  visit  to  Ongole.  As  in  the  case  of  Nellore, 
w^e  refer  our  readers  for  an  account  of  this  visit  to  Dr. 
Smith's  "  Rambles  in  Mission  Fields." 

While  evangelistic  work  has  ever  held  the  first  place 
in  the  policy  of  the  mission,  and  we  trust  will  always 


124  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSIOX. 

continue  to  do  so,  education  undoubtedly  deserves  the 
second.  Following  the  great  ingathering  a  demand 
sprang  up  for  schools.  Ignorance  and  Christianity  are 
diametrically  opposed.  Education  does  not  necessarily 
make  a  com:nunity  Christian,  but  a  Christian  commun- 
ity invariably  demands  education.  There  are  thousands 
of  villages  in  India  which  have  schools  and  no  Christians, 
but  very  few  Christian  villages,  if  any,  which  have  no 
school.  To  meet  this  demand  on  the  Ongole  field  a  large 
number  of  schools  were  established.  In  1877,  the  num- 
ber of  village  schools  was  forty-two.  This  was  increased 
to  eighty-three  in  1878,  and  later  the  number  was  one 
hundred  and  seventy-si.x  schools  with  two  thousand  one 
hundred  pupils.  The  station  schools  were  also  largely 
increased,  and  made  more  efficient.  The  mi_sion  hio^h 
school  was  opened  in  May,  1880,  under  Mr.  Edward  A. 
Kelly  as  head  master.  In  this  year,  the  Rev.  W.  R. 
Manley,  who  had  been  laboring  among  the  Telugus  of 
Rangoon  was  transferred  to  Ongole,  and  in  August,  1881, 
was  appointed  to  the  principalship  of  the  high  school.  ' 

The  aim  and  work  of  this  high  school  may  be  gathered 
from  Mr.  Manley 's  report  of  1882,  from  which  we  quote 
as  follow^s :  "  This  institution,  although  located  in 
Ongole,  is  intended  to  meet  the  entire  wants  of  the  Telugu 
mission,  so  far  as  higher  education  is  concerned,  just  as 
the  seminary  at  Ramapatam  does  in  the  matter  of  theo- 
logical training.  It  is  not  merely  the  only  one  in  the 
Telugu  mission  :  it  is  the  only  institution  of  the  kind 
between  Nellore  and  Guntur.  The  curriculum  of  studies 
is  that  prescribed  by  the  Madras  University.  It  embraces 
a  course  of  seven  years'  study,  and  is  so  arranged  as  to 


RESULTS   OF   THE   GREAT    REVIVAL.  125 

give  a  native  student,  in  addition  to  a  knowledge  of 
the  grammar  and  literature  of  his  own  language,  a  fair 
English  education.  The  vernacular  is  retained  through- 
out tlie  entire  course,  but  English  becomes  the  lan- 
guage of  the  text-book  and  recitation  after  the  third 
year.  The  very  patent  reason  for  this  is,  that  it  is  only 
through  the  medium  of  some  other  language  than  their 
own,  that  any  education,  in  the  proper  sense  of  the  term, 
can  be  given  to  these  people.  The  Bible  forms  a  regular 
part  of  the  course  in  all  except  the  two  lowest  classes. 

"  There  are  two  very  difficult  examinations  ;  one  at 
the  end  of  the  fifth  year,  by  the  government,  termed  the 
middle  school  examination,  which  makes  the  successful 
candidate  eligible  to  employment  in  the  government  civil 
service ;  and  the  other  at  the  end  of  the  seventh  year,  by 
the  Madras  University,  termed  the  matriculation  exami- 
nation. This  year  a  class  of  fifteen  boys  was  prepared 
for  the  middle  school,  and  one  of  nine  for  the  matricula- 
tion examination.  Of  the  former,  all  passed  but  three, 
four  of  them  being  in  the  first  grade.  Of  the  latter,  only 
three  passed ;  but  as  this  is  as  good  as  the  average  f  )r  the 
entire  Nellore  District,  it  is  not  quite  so  discouraging  as 
might  at  first  appear. 

"  The  staff  of  teachers  embraces,  in  addition  to  the 
principal,  two  Eurasian,  and  six  native  teachers.  There 
is  also  an  alphabet  class  connected  with  the  school, 
though  not  really  a  part  of  it,  for  the  benefit  of  our 
Christian  boys  and  others  who  are  not  prepared  to  enter 
the  first  class.  There  have  been  opened  also  two  primary 
schools — one  in  Ongole,  and  the  other  at  Kottapatam, 
ten  miles  east  of  Ongole — to  serve  an  feeders  for  the  high 


126  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MTSSION. 

school.  There  are  fifty  or  sixty  boys  in  these  two  schools, 
many  of  whom  wdll  come  into  the  high  school  as  soon  as 
they  are  prepared. 

"  Among  our  students  there  are  Brahmans,  Sudras, 
and  Mohammedans,  besides  our  Christian  boys.  No  dis- 
tinctions of  caste  or  religion  are  allowed ;  but  all  these 
different  classes  sit  together  on  the  same  bench,  and  recite 
the  same  lessons.  The  school  has  grown  to  such  an 
extent  that  there  is  not  sufficient  room  in  the  present 
house.  There  is  also  great  need  of  books  of  reference 
and  apparatus. 

"There  have  been  during  the  year,  including  the 
alphabet  class,  one  hundred  and  seventy-eight  boys 
enrolled,  with  an  average  monthly  attendance  of  one 
hundred  and  forty-six.  Of  these,  according  to  their 
religions,  fifty-four  were  Christians,  almost  all  of  whom 
have  been  baptized,  seven  were  Mohammedans,  and  one 
hundred  and  seventeen  were  Hindus." 

While  Dr.  Clough  was  at  home  in  1891,  he  presented 
a  petition  to  the  Executive  Committee  requesting  that 
the  high  school  be  raised  to  the  grade  of  a  college,  and 
that  fifty  thousand  dollars  be  provided  for  its  endowment. 
Believing  that  such  a  college  would  be  needed  in  tlie 
near  future  for  our  Christian  boys,  and  at  the  same  time 
wishing  to  take  advantage  of  Dr.  Clough's  presence  in 
the  country  to  raise  the  funds,  the  Committee  granted  the 
request  with  the  understanding  that  the  money  should  be 
collected  in  such  a  way  as  not  to  interfere  wdth  the  ordi- 
nary contributions  to  the  Union.  The  money  was  secured, 
and  the  college  will  be  opened  when  there  are  Christian 
students  to  enter  it.     Non-Christians  will,  of  course,  be 


RESULTS   OF   THE   GREAT   REVIVAL.  127 

admitted  to  its  benefits,  but  it  is  understood  that  the  col- 
lege is  primarily  for  our  Christian  young  men. 

At  the  close  of  1882,  the  number  of  church-members 
belonging  to  the  Ongole  field  was  twenty  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  sixty-five.  Nominally,  these  were  divided 
into  tweiity-seven  churches,  but  practically  they  were  all 
under  the  management  of  the  missionaries  at  Ongole,  and 
it  was  fiir  too  large  a  body  of  Christians,  and  scattered 
over  far  too  large  a  territory  to  be  successfully  worked 
from  one  station.  A  division  of  the  field  was  therefore 
necessary,  and  this  was  happily  accomplished  previous  to 
Dr.  Clough's  return  to  America.  The  new  stations 
were — Cumbum,  about  sixty  miles  west  of  Ongole ;  to  this 
station  the  Rev.  W.  B.  Boggs  and  wife  were  appointed  ; 
Vinukonda,  about  sixty  miles  northwest  of  Ongole,  to 
which  Rev.  G.  N.  Thomssen  and  wife  were  appointed ; 
Nursaraopett,  fifty-five  miles  northeast  of  Ongole,  to 
which  Rev.  R.  Maplesden  and  wife  were  appointed  ;  and 
Bapatla,  forty-five  miles  northeast  of  Ongole,  to  which 
Rev.  E.  Bullard  and  wife  were  appointed.  These  new 
fields  will  be  more  fully  referred  to  later  on. 

Dr.  Clough  left  Ongole  November  17, 1883,  for  a  brief 
visit  to  his  family  in  America.  In  view  of  the  great  work 
that  had  been  accomplished  in  Ongole,  Dr.  Clough  was 
welcomed  home  with  great  enthusiasm.  He  had  scarcely 
touched  his  native  land  ere  appeals  came  to  him  from 
all  quarters  to  address  meetings  and  give  an  account  of 
the  great  work.  After  only  eleven  days  with  his  family, 
he  was  summoned  to  New  York  to  address  a  series  of 
meetings  in  the  interests  of  the  Missionary  Union,  which 


128  HISTORY    OF    THE    TELUGU    MISSION. 

at  tlie  time  was  sadly  in  need  of  largely  increased  contribu- 
tions. It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  meetings  secured  a 
large  attendance,  and  that  Dr.  Clough's  addresses  were 
listened  to  with  deep  interest. 

When  the  immediate  necessities  of  the  Union  were  met, 
])r.  Clough  was  permitted  to  present  certain  claims  of  the 
Telugu  Mission.  These  were,  first,  two  mission  houses  for 
Madras,  and  second,  an  extensive  addition  to  the  high 
school  building.    Both  of  these  objects  were  accomplished. 

During  Dr.  Clough's.  absence  the  station  was  in  charge 
of  Kev.  D.  K.  Rayl,  who  arrived  in  Ongole  August  16, 
1882.  When  Mr.  Rayl  left  New  York  he  was  to  all 
appearance  a  strong,  healthy  man.  The  seeds  of  con- 
sumption must,  however,  have  been  in  him,  for  soon  after 
he  reached  India  the  disease  began  to  make  rapid  progress, 
and  in  May,  1884,  he  quit  India  and  set  out  for  home,  which 
he  succeeded  in  reaching  only  to  die.  His  wife  survived 
him  only  twenty  days,  dying  of  the  same  disease. 

Miss  Emma  Rauschenbusch,  an  appointee  of  the 
Woman's  Society  of  the  West,  arrived  in  Madras  No- 
vember 30, 1882.  Her  original  designation  was  to  Ongole, 
but  circumstances  seemed  to  favor  her  remaining  in  Madras. 
The  following  year,  however,  the  claims  of  Ongole  were 
brought  to  bear  on  her,  and  she  was  induced  to  proceed 
to  that  station  in  July,  1883,  and  take  charge  of  the  boys' 
school  and  Bible  woman's  work.  The  Society  of  the  West 
provided  for  her  a  handsome  bungalow,  a  large  boys' 
school,  and  a  Bible  woman's  house,  all  of  which  were  fin- 
ished in  1885.  Miss  Rauschenbusch  continued  her  work 
in  Ongole  till  1887,  when  her  health  broke  down,  and  she 
was  obliged  to  return  home. 


RESULTS   OF    THE   GREAT    REVIVAL.  129 

In  1890,  another  remarkable  movement  took  place, 
resulting  in  the  largest  number  of  accessions  since  1878. 
The  quarterly  meeting  at  Ono^ole  was  an  unusually  large 
one,  and  before  it  closed  three  hundred  and  sixty-three 
were  baptized.  The  interest  was  unusually  great,  and  as 
large  numbers  were  reported  ready  for  baptism,  but  who 
could  not  come  to  Onii^ole  at  that  time,  a  second  meetinor 
was  called  for  December  27th  and  28th.  On  the  latter 
day  one  thousand  six  hundred  and  seventy-one  were  bap- 
tized on  profession  of  faith  in  Christ.  By  the  first  of  March, 
1891,  this  number  was  increased  to  four  thousand  and 
thirty-seven.  At  Cumbum  some  three  thousand  five  hun- 
dred were  baptized  between  October  and  March,  and  if  we 
include  the  smaller  numbers  baptized  in  other  fields  the 
total  accessions  will  not  fall  far  short  of  the  great  ingath- 
ering of  1878. 

A  severe  blow  fell  upon  the  Ongole  field  in  the  death  of 
Mr.  Edward  A.  Kelly,  who  entered  the  mission  service  first 
as  the  head  master  of  the  high  school  in  1880.  Two 
years  later  he  received  an  appointment  in  government 
service,  but  in  1888,  he  returned  to  the  mission  as  an 
assistant  to  Dr.  Clough.  Here  he  did  good  and  faithful 
service  till  called  to  his  rew'ard.  He  won  the  esteem  and 
afiection  of  all  who  knew  him,  and  his  death  was  a  sore 
bereavement  to  his  family  and  Dr.  Clough,  and  a  great 
loss  to  the  mission. 

We  have  already  referred  to  Dr.  Mabie's  visit  to 
Nellore  and  Ramapatam.  From  the  latter  place  he  went 
on  to  Ongole,  where  he  spent  two  or  three  days  looking 
into  the  work  in  and  about  the  station.  On  Sunday, 
the  8th  of  February,  Drs.  Maljie  and  Waterman  baptized 


130  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

ninety-seven  converts.  On  Monday,  Di".  Clough  and  his 
visitors  started  across  trie  country  to  strike  the  railway 
en  route  for  Bombay.  On  the  way  they  encamped  at  a 
village  called  Chandaloor,  where  they  held  a  two  days' 
meeting.  Some  twelve  hundred  people  assembled  in  a 
grove,  and  listened  attentively  to  the  word  preached.  A 
large  number  professed  faith  in  Christ,  and  of  these  Drs. 
Mabie  and  Waterman  baptized  five  hundred  and  eighty- 
four,  and  on  the  following  day  one  hundred  and  sixty 
more  were  baptized.  These  baptisms  are  included  in  the 
four  thousand  and  thirty-seven  referred  to  above. 

Although  this  late  movement  is  not  confined  to  what  is 
now  the  Ongole  field,  yet  it  is  confined  to  what  was  the 
Ongold  field  in  1878.  There  is  not  a  station  in  the  mission 
that  has  not  had  more  or  less  additions,  but  these  large 
accessions  have  been  almost  exclusively  from  the  same 
class  of  people,  namely,  the  Madigas,  and  from  the  same 
region  as  those  in  1878.  This  is  a  very  significant  fact, 
and  should  be  considered  in  discussing  the  question  of 
these  "  mass  movements "  toward  Christianity.  They 
indicate  what  may  reasonably  and  confidently  be  ex- 
pected when  Christianity  takes  hold  of  the  other  great 
division  of  the  non-caste  people,  the  Malas,  and  also, 
though  probably  later,  the  people  of  the  various  castes. 
In  other  parts  of  the  Telugu  country,  and  in  other  mis- 
sions, the  Malas  give  evidence  of  such  a  disposition  to 
move  en  masse  toward  Christianity.  But  so  far,  in  our 
own  mission,  the  indications  of  such  a  movement  are  not 
apparent,  although  our  work  in  Nellore  and  elsewhere 
started  with  the  Malas,  and  our  converts  generally  have 
been  from  that  class. 


RESULTS   OF   THE   GREAT   REVIVAL.  131 

The  work  among  the  Madigas  in  the  north  and  north- 
west of  our  mission  has  received  such  an  impetus  tliat  in 
all  probability  it  will  go  on,  augmenting  as  it  goes,  till  the 
whole  class  will  come  over  to  Christianity.  In  the  near 
future  we  fully  believe  a  similar  movement  will  take  place 
among  the  Malas.  The  caste  people  may  be  slower  to 
move,  but  they  too  will  certainly  come.  Indeed,  already 
in  one  field  of  our  mission  the  caste  people  are  believing 
even  more  readily  than  the  non-castes  of  the  same  field. 

One  of  the  results  of  Dr.  Mabie's  visit  to  the  Telugu 
mission  was  that  he  succeeded  in  convincing  Dr.  Clough 
that  the  time  had  come  for  him  to  retire  from  the  field 
for  a  time  and  return  home  for  needed  recuperation  and 
rest.  For  some  years  it  was  evident  to  all  but  himself 
that  he  had  reached  that  point  where  he  was  liable 
to  utterly  break  down  at  any  moment.  Moreover,  it  was 
thought  that  Dr.  Clough  could  do  better  service  to  the 
mission  by  going  home  and  exerting  his  influence  in  get- 
ting the  new  men  that  had  been  called  for,  than  he  could 
by  staying  on  in  his  imperfect  health.  Accordingly  he 
left  Ongole  March  17th,  and  sailed  from  Bombay  on  the 
28th. 

The  Eev.  P.  M.  Johnson  aud  wife,  who  were  designated 
to  Ongole,  arrived  there  December  5,  1890.  Having  so 
recently  come  to  the  country  it  was  thought  advisable  to 
request  the  Eev.  J.  Heinrichs  and  wife  to  remove  to  On- 
gole and  carry  on  the  work  till  Dr.  Clpugh's  return. 
They  had  spent  some  fifteen  months  in  Nellore,  devoting 
most  of  their  time  to  the  study  of  Telugu.  They  left 
Nellore  March  20th  to  begin  their  new  and  difiicult  work 
at  Onsfole. 


132  HISTORY    OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

Prof.  Lewis  E.  Martin  and  Rev.  Oscar  R.  McKay  arrived 
in  Origole  in  December,  1891.  Mr.  Martin  was  specially 
designated  as  principal  of  the  high  school,  a  work  for  which 
he  was  especially  fitted,  having  held  a  similar  position  in  Ja- 
pan. But  even  for  such  a  position,  when  most  of  the  work 
is  in  English,  it  was  deemed  best  to  leave  Mr.  Martin  free 
to  study  the  language  before  assuming  the  duties  of  his 
position.  In  the  event  of  the  school  becoming  a  college 
the  expectation  is  that  both  Mr.  Martin  and  Mr.  McKay 
will  devote  themselves  to  that  work. 

We  might  linger  at  Ongole  and  give  more  details  of 
all  the  wonderful  work  that  has  been  accomplished  in 
that  fruitful  field.  But  enough,  we  trust,  has  been  said 
to  give  a  fairly  adequate  view  of  the  field,  of  the  work 
accomplished,  and  of  its  still  greater  possibilities.  Before 
leaving  it,  however,  we  may  be  permitted  to  offer  a  few 
suggestions  as  to  the  dangers  to  which  Ongole  is 
especially  exposed,  and  the  precautions  which  should  be 
taken  to  avoid  them. 

In  the  first  place,  it  must  be  admitted  that  when  con- 
verts have  come  in  such  masses,  and  especially  when  they 
have  come  from  the  very  lowest  class  of  society,  there  is 
a  likelihood  that  at  least  some  of  them  were  influenced  by 
unworthy  motives ;  and  that  others  who  without  any  desire 
to  deceive,  were  borne  on  by  the  current  of  prevailing  feel- 
ing, and  baptized  without  any  real  conviction  of  sin  or 
conversion  to  God.  Hence  church  discipline  should  be 
exercised  with  the  greatest  care  and  vigor. 

Secondly.  As  these  converts  are  from  the  very  lowest 
class  of  society,  few  of  them  being  even  able  to  read,  they 
are  in  danger  of  being  influenced  not  only  by  heathenism 


RESULTS   OF   THE   GREAT   REVIVAL.  133 

by  which  they  are  surrounded,  but  also  by  Roman  Catholi- 
cism and  other  false  forms  of  Christianity.  Indeed,  this 
very  danger  was  one  of  the  causes  which  precipitated  the 
great  movement  in  1878.  The  Roman  Catholics  were 
not  only  ready  to  receive  the  converts,  but  two  priests 
were  on  the  ground  planning  to  baptize  them.  But  for 
God's  interposition,  and  the  skill  and  vigor  Dr.  Clough 
displayed  in  turning  the  movement  in  our  direction,  they 
would  in  all  probability  have  gone  over  to  the  Romanists, 
and  that  would  not  only  have  been  a  curse  to  the  con- 
verts, but  would  have  been  a  serious  hindrance  to  the 
progress  of  God's  work  in  this  district  for  all  time.  So 
long  as  Dr.  Clough  with  his  great  influence  and  power 
remains  on  the  field,  this  danger  need  cause  no  special 
alarm.  But  should  he  die,  or  be  permanently  removed 
from  the  mission,  and  a  man  with  less  ability  to  hold  the 
people,  or  with  different  ideas  of  how  mission  work  ought 
to  be  conducted  take  his  place,  a  very  little  thing  might 
create  a  panic  which  would  prove  disastrous.  Hence  it 
is  of  the  greatest  importance  that  these  converts  be 
thoroughly  trained  in  the  principles  of  our  faith.  To 
do  this,  the  Ongole  field  ought  again  to  be  subdivided 
into  three  or  four  fields  and  a  missionary  placed  in  each. 
Thirdly.  The  churches  ought  to  be  more  thoroughly 
organized  on  the  New  Testament  model.  Nominally 
there  are  sixteen  churches  on  the  Ongole  field,  but  ordi- 
narily the  ordinances  and  business  of  all  the  churches 
are  attended  to  at  Ongole  just  the  same  as  before  the  vil- 
lage churches  were  set  oflT.  This  is  probably  unavoidable, 
and  will  be  till  the  field  is  again  divided  and  a  very 
much  larger  staff  of  missionaries  is  on  the  ground. 


134  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU    MISSION. 

It  remains  for  American  Baptists  to  say  whether  these 
dangers  are  to  remain  or  be  averted.  If  men  are  sup- 
plied in  sufficient  numbers,  there  is  practically  no  end  to 
the  numbers  that  will  believe  and  join  the  Lord's  hosts. 

In  October,  1892,  thirteen  men,  married  and  single, 
sailed  from  Boston  to  join  the  mission.  Of  these,  five  or 
six  will  be  stationed  in  different  parts  of  the  present  On- 
gole  field.  As  soon  as  they  have  acquired  a  working 
knowledge  of  the  language  new  fields  will  be  formed  and 
thus,  it  is  hoped,  the  dangers  above  referred  to  will  be 
averted. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

RAMAPATAM. 

An  uDOocupied  compound.  Kamapatani  M'ell  situated  for  a  n3is^^lon  station. 
Fitness  of  compound  for  missionary  work.  Cheapness  of  it.  Organization 
of  the  church  at  Ramapatam.  Number  of  members  small.  Diminished  by 
persecution.  Cause  of  this.  Faith  and  earnestness  of  Mr  Timpany.  Work 
of  Miss  Peabody.  Results  at  Ramapatam.  Value  of  a  knowledge  of  medi- 
cine. A  trying  time  in  the  mission  for  Mr.  Newhall.  Still  other  changes. 
Fears  of  some  as  to  the  "  great  ingathering."  Extract  from  a  letter  by  Mr. 
Newhall.  Mixed  motives  prompting  to  union  with  the  churcli.  Importance 
of  family  life  on  our  mission  stations.  Divisions  at  Ramapatam.  Formation 
of  a  seminary  church.  Collapse  of  the  mission  station  Breakdown  and 
departure  of  Mr.  Newhall.  Division  of  Ramapatam  work  between  Ougole 
and  Nellore.  Ramapatam  Theologic  ;1  Seminary.  Importance  of  native 
instrumentality.  Action  looking  toward  the  establishment  of  a  seminary 
among  the  Telugus.  Creation  of  the  seminary  at  Ramapatam  and  erection 
of  buildings.  Course  of  study.  Difficulties  in  the  way  of  carrying  it  out. 
Mr.  Timpany's  first  report.  Designation  of  Rev.  R.  R  Williams  to  the  sem- 
inary. Difficulties  in  his  way.  Success  of  his  work.  An  endowment  for 
the  seminary.  Support  of  the  students.  Extracts  from  Mr.  Williams' 
report.  Study  of  the  Bible,  primary.  Emphasis  laid  upon  prophetic  por- 
tions. The  Gospels  memorized.  Missionary  work  done  by  seminary  teachers 
and  students.  Regular  preaching  sustained  in  thirty-five  towns.  Students' 
work  and  its  results.  Mr.  Boggs' temporary  charge  of  the  seminary.  Dr. 
Smith's  visit.  Additional  funds  for  the  seminary.  Addition  of  library  and 
press.  Return  of  Dr,  Williams  to  the  United  States  and  the  appointment 
of  Mr.  Boggs  to  the  presidency.  Probable  association  with  hira  of  his  son. 
Work  in  the  mission  field,  of  Miss  Cummings. 

RAMAPATAM  is  a  small  village  on  the  shore  of  the 
Bay  of  Bengal,  forty-five  miles  north  of  Nellore.  It 
is  a  place  of  no  especial  importance  in  itself,  but  previous 
to  1870  was  the  headquarters  of  the  sub-collector  of  the 
district.  In  that  year,  however,  the  sub-cgllector  was 
removed  to  Ongole.     This  left  unoccupied  a  fine  large 

135 


136  HISTORY    OF   THE   TELUGU    MISSION. 

compound  of  nearly  a  hundred  acres  and  two  bungalows 
all  ready  for  occupation.  As  there  was  no  prospect  of  any 
government  official  requiring  the  premises,  the  property 
was  thrown  into  the  market  and  ofiered  at  a  comparatively 
small  price. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  after  the  occupation  of 
Ongole,  Ramapatam  was  one  of  the  places  selected  by  the 
missionaries  as  the  most  desirable  location  for  a  station 
between  Nellore  and  Ongole,  and  also  that  the  Rev.  A. 
V.  Timpany  and  wife,  who  were  to  occupy  the  new  station, 
were  already  in  Nellore.  Mr.  Timpany  had  searched 
over  the  whole  region  for  a  suitable  place  for  the  station, 
but  not  one  could  be  found.  But  as  soon  as  he  reached 
Nellore  he  heard  of  the  proposed  change  of  the  sub-col- 
lectorate.  Shortly  afterward  this  magnificent  property 
was  purchased  for  the  nominal  sum  of  three  thousand 
rupees.  One  of  the  bungalows  was  occupied  .by  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Timpany,  February  5,  1870,  and  the  other  was 
speedily  converted  into  a  chapel,  and  thus  the  missiona- 
ries were  enabled  to  begin  their  work  at  once. 

On  the  25th  of  March,  a  church  was  organized  com- 
posed of  members  from  the  Nellore  and  Ongole  churches 
and  numbering  thirty-five.  This  was  increased  to  one 
hundred  and  fifteen  by  the  close  of  the  year.  There 
would  probably  have  been  a  much  larger  number  received, 
but  a  spirit  of  persecution  broke  out  and  many  of  the 
Christians  were  shamefully  treated.  This  led  some  to  turn 
back,  and  others  who  manifested  a  disposition  to  renounce 
heathenism  were  deterred.  The  immediate  cause  of  this 
persecution  was  the  refusal  of  the  Christians  of  Kondiah- 
palem  to  eat  meat  sacrificed  to  idols. 


RAMAPATAM.  137 

Mr.  Tirapany  shared  very  largely  the  faith  of  Messrs. 
Day,  Jewett,  and  Clough,  respecting  the  conversion  of 
large  numbers  of  Telugus  in  the  very  near  future.  The 
genuineness  of  his  faith  was  evident  in  the  manner  and 
character  of  his  life  and  work.  He  believed  the  heathen 
were  dying,  and  the  sincerity  of  his  faith  was  seen  in  the 
way  he  devoted  his  life  to  save  them. 

Miss  Peabody,  the  first  single  lady  sent  to  this  mission, 
arrived  in  Ramapatam  in  1872.  After  two  years  of  study 
and  prospecting  as  to  how  and  where  she  should  begin 
work  for  the  women  and  girls  for  whom  she  had  come  to 
labor,  she  decided  that  a  girls'  boarding  school  presented 
the  best  field.  This  was  probably  wise,  and  it  certainly 
was  safe,  since  it  had  been  found  to  work  successfully  both 
in  Nellore  and  Ongole.  Accordingly,  a  building  was 
prepared  and  a  school  begun  with  six  girls.  In  1875,  the 
number  had  increased  to  forty-five. 

In  1877,  Miss  Peabody  became  the  wife  of  the  Rev. 
Geo.  Pearce,  a  retired  missionary  of  the  English  Baptist 
Missionary  Society,  and  then  living  at  Ootacamund,  on 
the  Neilgiri  Hills.  This,  however,  did  not  end  Miss  Pea- 
body's  missionary  career.  Mr.  Pearce  still  had  much 
missionary  zeal,  and  although  himself  unfamiliar  with  the 
Tamil,  he  had  gathered  a  company  of  Tamils  at  Ootaca- 
mund and  employed  a  native  catechist  to  preach  to  them. 
He  also  had  an  English  congregation.  Into  this  service 
Mrs.  Pearce  entered  earnestly. 

By  the  end  of  the  fifth  year  of  the  ncAV  station  at  Rama- 
patam two  churches  had  been  organized,  with  a  total 
membership  of  seven  hundred  and  sixty-nine  ;  two  station 
schools,  a  number  of  village  schools,  and  seven  out-stations 


138  HISTORY    OF   THE   TELUGU    .M ISSIOX. 

established.  The  confidence  of  the  heathen  had  been 
secured.  At  first  the  missionary  was  regarded  as  an  enemy 
and  shunned,  now  he  was  everywhere  warmly  welcomed 
as  a  friend.  All  classes  came  in  crowds  to  hear  him 
preach.  Mr.  Timpany  had  some  knowledge  of  medicine 
which,  besides  enabling  him  to  relieve  much  sufifering, 
was  a  great  help  in  securing  the  confidence  of  the  people. 
Tlie  caste  people  at  first  refused  to  take  medicine  mixed 
with  water,  but  finding  it  was  that  or  nothing,  they  soon 
laid  aside  their  prejudice  and  received  the  remedy. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Timpany  returned  to  America  in  Febru- 
ary, 1876.  During  the  two  yeai-s  he  was  at  home,  Mr. 
Timpany  studied  medicine  and  took  the  degree  of  M.  D. 
Being  a  Canadian  he  was  urged  to  leave  our  mission  and 
join  that  of  the  Canadian  Board.  This  caused  him  a 
good  deal  of  anxious  tliought  and  it  was  only  after  a 
severe  struggle  that  he  finally  felt  compelled  to  join  the 
mission  of  his  own  country.  He  loved  his  old  field  at 
Eamapatam,  but  felt  that  duty  called  him  to  Cocanada. 
Here  he  labored  earnestly  and  faithfully  until  the  19th 
of  February,  1885,  when  he  was  seized  with  cholera  and 
in  a  few  hours  entered  into  his  eternal  rest. 

The  Eev.  A.  A.  Newhall  joined  the  mission  in  1875, 
and  succeeded  Mr.  Timpany  at  Ramapatam.  It  was  a 
most  unfortunate  time  for  a  young  and  inexperienced 
missionary  to  have  thrust  upon  him  the  care  and  respon- 
sibility of  a  large  mission  station.  The  great  famine  was 
just  impending,  and  instead  of  having  the  first  year  or  two 
for  study  and  getting  acquainted  with  the  field  and  peo- 
ple, he  had  to  lend  a  hand  in  the  one  great  work  of  the 
hour,  famine  relief. 


RAMAPATAM.  139 

AVhen  the  Timpanys  left,  Miss  Peabody  accompanied 
them  to  Ma<lra.s  and  remained  there  about  eight  months 
studying  medicine.  Miss  Mary  A.  Wood,  who  had  been 
appointwl  t/j  Nellore  and  who  arrived  there  in  January, 
1875,  was  requeste^i  to  take  temporary  charge  of  the  girls' 
Bchool  at  Ramapatam  till  Miss  Peabody  returned.  But 
in  the  meantime  she  became  Mrs.  Newhall,  and  on  Miss 
Peabody's  return,  Mrs.  Xewhall  handed  over  to  her  the 
girls'  school  while  she  took  charge  of  the  boys'  school  and 
otherwise  entere^l  earnestly  int^^  the  work  of  the  station. 
But  her  missionary  life  was  brief.  She  died  in  Nellore, 
October  9,  1877. 

The  reader  will  scarcely  have  failefi  to  observe  that  we 
have  presented  the  great  ingathering  of  1878  in  its  most 
favorable  aspects.  But  it  would  not  be  historically  c(jr- 
rect  to  leave  on  the  reader's  mind  the  impression  that  all 
the  missionaries  were  equally  sanguine  with  reference  to 
the  movement.  That  God's  Spirit  was  moving  multitudes 
to  believe  and  turn  to  Christ  no  one  for  a  mf>ment 
doubted;  but  that  large  numbers  of  the  heathen  were 
seeking,  not  Christ  but  the  missionary,  his  influence  and 
merely  temporal  good,  several  were  disposed  to  fear  If  not 
to  believe.  The  following  from  one  of  Mr.  Newhall's 
letters  will  show  that  he  shared  to  some  extent  this  fear, 
while  at  the  same  time  a  genuine  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
was  in  progress,  which  his  own  field  to  some  extent  shared. 

"  The  distribution  of  so  much  relief  money,  while  it  has 
saved  multitudes  of  lives,  has  also  awakened  in  the  people 
a  desire,  so  natural  to  them  at  all  times,  but  now  intensi- 
fied, to  make  all  the  gain  possible  out  of  their  relations  to 
white  people.     Deception,  fraud,  and   dishonesty   have 


140  lIIVrORY   OF   THE   TELUGU    :\IISSI()N. 

been  practiced  by  the  heathen,  and,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  by 
a  few  of  the  so-called  Christians,  and  have  diverted  nuuiy 
a  rupee  from  the  end  for  wliich  it  was  sent  out  and  given. 
This  fact  made  the  work  of  distributing  relief  money  very 
difiicult,  and  now  opposes  a  great  obstacle  to  the  prosecu- 
tion of  mission  woriv :  that  is,  such  mission  work  as  all 
intelligent  friends  of  missions  delight  in.  But  there  has 
also  been  awakened,  evidently  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  a  desire 
to  embrace  a  religion  that  exhibits  such  fruits  of  love  and 
benevolence  in  such  marked  contrast  with  the  cruelty 
and  selfishness  of  heathenism.  God  has  seemed  to  make 
this  recent  benevolence  of  the  English  and  American 
people  an  entering  wedge  for  the  gospel  in  multitudes  of 
cases  where  the  evidences  of  true  conversion  are  clear  and 
satisfactory.  The  difficulties  of  the  present  ingathering 
are  in  the  cases  of  multitudes  who  seem  to  have  mixed 
motives  for  desiring  baptism :  and  some  of  them  are  of 
the  most  puzzling  character.  Some  after  answering  the 
usual  questions  satisfactorily,  on  being  asked  what  advan- 
tage it  is  going  to  be  to  believe  in  Christ  and  join  the 
church,  will  frankly  confess  that  it  will  bring  them 
clothes  and  food  and  the  favor  of  the  missionary." 

During  1878  there  were  five  hundred  and  twenty-six 
baptized  on  the  Ramapatam  field.  The  station  schools 
were  continued,  but  with  great  difficulty,  after  Mrs.  New- 
hall's  death.  It  is  of  the  greatest  importance  that  every 
station  should  have  a  missionary  family.  A  man  without 
a  wife  is  badly  handicapped  in  such  work.  Still,  the  work 
of  tlie  year  was  on  the  whole  very  prosperous,  and  for 
that  very  reason  it  is  all  tlie  more  painful  to  record  the 
utter  collapse  of  the  Ramapatam  mission  field  in  1879. 


RAMAPATAM.  141 

Up  to  1878  there  had  been  but  one  church  at  Ramapatain 
for  the  Christians  generally  and  the  students  of  the  semi- 
nary. But  during  the  great  revival  a  large  number  of 
converts  had  been  gathered  by  the  teachers  and  students 
of  the  seminary.  At  first,  these  converts  were  baptized 
into  the  station  church.  But  as  the  number  increased, 
questions  arose  respecting  their  reception,  which  led  to 
the  formation  of  an  independent  seminary  church.  This 
led  to  further  ■  complications  which  greatly  marred  the 
peace  and  harmony  of  the  station. 

Previous  to  his  departure  for  the  United  States,  Mr. 
Drake  invited  Mr.  Newhall  to  leave  Kamapatam  and 
take  charge  of  the  Kurnool  field.  This  Mr.  Newhall 
was  not  altogether  willing  to  do,  but  was  willing  to  un- 
dertake the  care  of  both  fields  till  help  should  come  from 
home.  But  owing  to  the  great  distance  between  the  two 
fields,  this  was  an  almost  impossible  task.  He,  however, 
undertook  it,  and  the  result  was  that  in  a  few  months  he 
completely  broke  down  while  out  on  a  tour,  and  was 
carried  into  Nellore,  to  all  appearances  more  dead  than 
alive.  No  one  believed  it  possible  that  he  could  recover ; 
but  skillful  treatment  and  careful  nursing  at  the  mission 
house  brought  him  up  from  the  very  gates  of  death.  As 
soon  as  he  was  able  to  travel  he  wa^  ordered  to  quit 
India.  He  sailed  from  Madras  in  September,  and  as  it 
would  have  been  dangerous  for  him  to  face  the  winter  of 
England,  he  went  to  the  south  of  France,  where  he  re- 
mained till  spring. 

In  the  absence  of  a  man  to  take  up  the  Ramapatam 
work,  the  field  was  temporarily  divided  between  Nellore 
and  Ongole,  while  a  circuit  of  ten  miles  was  given  to  the 


142  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

seminary.  This  arrangement  continued  till  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  new  station  at  Udayagiri  which  naturally 
took  up  a  large  portion  of  both  the  north  and  south 
sections  of  the  old  Ramapatam  field.  But  this  by  no 
means  sufficiently  provided  for  what  was  the  Ramapatam 
field.  There  ought  to  be,  and  probably  will  be  at  an 
early  day,  a  station  at  Kavali,  a  growing  and  important 
town  ten  miles  south  of  Ramapatam. 

Ramapatam  Theological  Seminary  has  had  a  very  im- 
portant part  in  the  work  among  the  Telugus.  It  has 
frequently  been  said  that  if  India  is  ever  to  be  evangel- 
ized, it  mast  be  done  to  a  very  large  extent  by  native 
agency.  This  is  so  universally  believed  that  there  is 
scarcely  a  mission  of  any  importance  in  India  that  has 
not  a  "  school  of  the  prophets  "  to  prepare  natives  for  the 
ministry.  Soon  after  Mr.  Clough  moved  to  Ongole,  he 
began  to  agitate  the  question  of  a  theological  seminary 
for  the  Telugus.  But  it  was  not  till  1870  that  the  subject 
took  definite  shape.  At  the  mission  conference  of  that 
year,  held  at  Ramapatam,  it  was  "  Resolved,  That  a  theo- 
logical seminary  is,  in  our  opinion,  an  immediate  necessity 
for  the  Telugu  Mission."  This,  with  several  other  reso- 
lutions bearing  upon  it,  were  unanimously  passed  and  Mr. 
Clough  was  asked  to  correspond  with  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee on  the  subject.  The  result  of  this  action  was  that 
the  Executive  Committee  sanctioned  the  request  for  the 
seminary  and  provided  funds  for  the  necessary  buildings. 
By  unanimous  consent  the  seminary  was  located  at  Rama- 
patam, and  this  being  the  case  the  erection  of  the  build- 
ings was  nat-irally  entrusted  to  Mr.  Timpany.     The  sem- 


RAMAPATAM.  143 

inary  was  opened  in  April,  1872,  under  the  management 
of  Mr.  Timpany,  assisted  by  the  native  teachers.  The 
number  of  students  the  first  year  was  fifteen. 

In  the  absence  of  anything  like  a  high  school  in  the 
mission,  Mr.  Timpany  arranged  the  course  of  study  to 
cover  six  years,  the  first  three  being  preparatory  and  the 
last  three  purely  theological.  But  this  course  was  never 
strictly  followed,  and  for  two  reasons.  In  the  first  place, 
the  class  of  students  sent  to  the  seminary  was  not,  as  a 
rule,  such  as  could  take  up  the  higher  secular  studies  that 
had  been  prescribed.  Some  did  take  them  up  and  pur- 
sued them  with  credit,  but  they  were  in  the  minority. 
The  students  were  generally  somewhat  advanced  in  years, 
and  some  of  them  were  married  men  with  families.  Hence, 
like  students  for  the  ministry  at  home  in  similar  circum- 
stances, a  few  years  of  biblical  study  were  all  they  cared 
to  take.  Another  reason  was,  the  pressing  need  in  the 
mission  for  preachers  with  even  a  very  limited  education 
made  the  missionaries  impatient  to  get  back  the  few  that 
had  been  sent  to  the  seminary.  Still,  the  preparatory 
course  was  retained  and  followed  more  or  less  closely  for 
several  years. 

In  his  first  annual  report  of  the  seminary,  Mr.  Timpany 
said:  "It  is  our  purpose  to  raise  up  a  class  of  fairly 
educated  men,  simple  in  their  habits,  with  no  artificial  or 
imported  wants — a  ministry  that  the  poor  churches  will 
not  find  it  impossible  to  support." 

The  Rev.  R.  R.  Williams,  who  had  been  designated  to 
the  seminary,  arrived  in  Ramapatam,  January  10,  1874, 
and  immediately  took  the  charge  from  Mr.  Timpany. 
Althouijh  ttie  latter  remained  on  the  list  of  teachers  for  a 


144  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISBIOX. 

short  time,  yet  the  whole  burden  of  the  seminary  fell  on 
Mr.  Williams.  This  was  hard,  for  he  was  obliged  to 
begin  teaching  by  the  help  of  an  interpreter.  This  at 
best  is  very  unsatisfactory,  especially  to  the  teacher,  as  it 
gives  no  fair  opportunity  to  get  the  language  as  a  man  in 
such  a  position  ought  to  get  it.  The  tendency  is  that 
while  he  may  get  a  large  vocabulary  in  a  very  short  time, 
he  fails  to  get  a  correct  idiomatic  knowledge  of  the  lan- 
guage or  gets  it  only  with  an  extraordinary  amount  of 
labor.  If  the  ordinary  missionary  needs  at  least  the  first 
year  free  for  study,  much  more  should  a  man  in  such  a 
position.  Moreover,  there  is  a  very  decided  conviction  in 
the  mission  that  the  man  who  presides  over  the  theological 
seminary  should  have  a  few  years  of  active  missionary 
work  on  the  field  before  taking  up  his  seminary  duties, 
and  thus  learn  by  experience  the  real  needs  of  the  field 
and  the  kind  of  training  the  students  require.  But  we 
have  to  do,  not  so  much  with  what  ouglit  to  be  as  with 
what  is.  It  should  be  said  to  Mr.  Williams'  credit,  that 
he  entered  upon  his  duties  with  great  enthusiasm  and  suc- 
ceeded better  than  the  untoward  circumstances  warranted 
any  one  to  expect. 

We  have  already  referred  to  the  successful  effort  of 
Mr.  Clough,  when  at  home  in  1872,  to  raise  an  endow- 
ment of  fifty  thousand  dollars  for  the  seminary.  From 
the  income  of  this  endowment  the  teachers  and  students 
are  supported.  Unmarried  students  receive  three  rupees 
a  month,  free  quarters,  and  two  suits  of  clothes  each  year. 
Married  students  receive  six  rupees  and  clothes  for  both 
themselves  and  waves.  This  is  ample  for  all  their  needs, 
and  more  than  most  of  them  arc  said  to  get  after  they  be- 


KAMAPATAM.  145 

come  preachers.  The  wives  of  the  students  are  expected 
to  pursue  the  same  studies  with  their  husl)ands  as  far  as 
possible,  and  some  of  them  have  done  remarkably  well, 
occasionally  the  wife  being  the  better  student  of  the  two. 

During  the  seven  years  of  Mr.  Williams'  first  term  of 
service  he  labored  with  untiring  zeal  to  prepare  the 
students  under  his  care  for  usefulness,  and  to  build  up  the 
seminary  and  make  it  a  power  for  good  in  the  mission. 
,He  had  many  difficulties  to  overcome  before  success  could 
be  attained.  In  1876,  he  was  sorely  afflicted  in  the  death 
of  his  devoted  and  faithful  wife.  In  this  death  the  sem- 
inary also  suffered,  for  Mrs.  Williams  was  a  teacher  and 
watched  over  the  boys  as  a  mother. 

From  very  small  beginnings,  Mr.  Williams  was  per- 
mitted to  see  the  work  grow  and  prosper  far  beyond  what 
even  he  had  hoped  for.  As  an  indication  of  the  aim  of 
the  seminary,  the  character  of  the  work  done,  and  the 
progress  made,  we  quote  as  follows  from  Mr.  AVilliams' 
report  for  1880: 

"  The  seminary  year  is  divided  into  two  terms.  The 
first  term  commences  the  middle  of  July,  and  closes  the 
middle  of  December.  The  second  term  begins  the  first 
ol  January,  and  continues  until  the  last  of  April. 

"  The  object  of  the  seminary  is  to  train  its  students  for 
the  work  of  the  ministry,  i.  e.,  to  give  the  gospel  to  the 
lost  and  build  up  believers  in  the  great  truths  therein 
revealed.  Hence  we  give  our  strength  to  the  study  of 
God's  word.  The  whole  Bible  is  studied  thoroughly, 
until  its  history  and  grand  doctrines  become  familiar. 
Much  time  is  given  to  prophecy  and  its  fulfillment.  The 
prophecies  respecting  the  children  of  Israel,  their  cap- 

K 


146  HISTORY    OP   THE    TELUGU    MISSION. 

tivity,  restoration,  the  desolation  of  their  country,  and 
destruction  of  their  beautiful  temple,  and  their  dispersion 
among  the  Gentiles,  etc.  The  prophecies  concerning  the 
Messiah  and  his  kingdom  are  traced  from  the  first 
promise  made  in  the  garden  of  Eden  throughout  the  Old 
Testament  to  their  fulfillment  in  Jesus  Christ  and  his 
church,  as  revealed  in  the  New  Testament.  Special 
attention  is  given  to  the  study  of  tlie  New  Testament 
during  the  three  years.  The  Gospels  are  memorized  with 
the  historical  portions  of  the  New  Testament,  while  the 
Epistles  are  analyzed,  and  the  great  truths  thoroughly 
studied.  During  the  study  of  the  pastoral  Epistles,  a 
course  of  lectures  is  given  on  the  constitution  of  the 
church,  its  membership,  officers,  ordinances,  and  work. 
We  also  deliver  a  course  of  lectures  on  church  history, 
beginning  where  the  New  Testament  leaves  off,  and  give 
the  more  important  facta  of  church  history  during  the 
earlier  periods.  In  order  to  give  the  students  instruction 
in  sermonizing,  we  have  two  services  a  week  for  preach- 
ing. The  members  of  the  senior  class  preach  in  turn. 
The  main  object  of  these  services  is  to  give  instruction  to 
those  who  hear,  but  we  make  suggestions  and  criticise  the 
sermons,  to  some  extent. 

"  At  the  close  of  each  year,  a  committee  of  examiners 
is  present,  and  the  classes  are  examined  carefully  in  the 
work  of  the  year.  They  are  required  to  go  over  all  the 
ground,  as  far  as  possible,  during  the  three  days  of  exam- 
ination. 

"  The  field  within  a  radius  of  ten  miles  of  Ramapatam 
is  cultivated  by  the  teachers  and  students  of  the  seminary. 
There  are  thirty-five  towns  and  villages  in  which  there  is 


RAMAPATAM.  147 

regular  preaching  as  well  as  Sabbath-schools.  We 
usually  send  out  two  men  to  a  village,  one  from  the  senior 
or  middle  class  with  a  junior.  The  former  usually  does 
the  preaching  and  the  latter  conducts  the  Sunday-school. 
We  have  no  building  which  will  accommodate  all  of  the 
students  of  the  seminary  and  station  schools,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  Christians  on  the  field.  Three  of  the 
seminary  teachers  have  been  ordained  to  the  work  of  the 
ministry.  They  are  faithful  and  efficient  men,  bearing 
many  of  the  burdens  which  heretofore  rested  wholly  on 
the  missionary.  They  visit  the  churches,  baptize  con- 
verts, administer  the  Lord's  Supper,  and  instruct  them  in 
all  things  pertaining  to  the  work  of  the  church  of  Christ. 
During  our  few  days  of  vacation  we  made  a  trip,  going 
over  as  much  of  the  field  as  we  could.  Tlie  interest  was 
truly  great.  The  students'  work  never  appeared  so  satis- 
factory as  now.  They  have  done  much  hard  work,  and 
God  has  accepted  it  by  giving  them  precious  souls." 

In  February,  1881,  Mr.  Williams  sailed  for  the  United 
States.  In  his  absence,  the  seminary  was  in  charge  of 
the  Rev.  W.  B.  Boggs,  who  carried  on  the  work  success- 
fully till  Dr.  Williams'  return  in  December,  1882,  when 
Mr.  Boggs  removed  to  Cumbum,  to  open  a  new  station 
there. 

It  was  while  Mr.  Boggs  was  in  charge  of  the  seminary 
that  the  Rev.  Dr.  S.  F.  Smith  visited  the  mission.  For 
an  account  of  this  visit  we  again  refer  our  readers  to  Dr. 
Smith's  "  Rambles  in  Mission  Fields." 

During  Dr.  Williams'  sojourn  in  the  United  States,  he 
secured  fifteen  thousand  dollars  for  a  new  seminary  build- 
ing.    This  building  is  of  stone  and  teak,  and  is  a  fine, 


148  HISTORY    OF   THE   TELUGU   MISST(:)X. 

large,  and  substantial  structure.  It  has  ample  accommo- 
dation for  class  rooms  on  the  lower  floor,  and  over  them  a 
spacious  hall,  for  chapel  purposes.  He  also  received  from 
Mr.  William  Bucknell,  of  Philadelphia,  one  thousand 
dollars  for  the  purchase  of  a  seminary  library,  and  from 
other  sources,  money  for  the  purchase  of  a  press,  which 
has  been  set  up,  and  on  which  a  good  deal  of  the  mission 
printing  is  done. 

The  continued  illness  of  Mrs.  Williams  rendered  it 
necessary  for  them  to  return  home  in  1886.  They  sailed 
from  Madras  on  the  sixth  of  July,  and  reached  home  in 
safety.  The  seminary  was  left  in  charge  of  Dr.  Clough, 
who  undertook  to  give  it  a  general  oversiglit,  and  to  visit 
it  once  a  month  to  make  the  payments.  But  the  work 
of  the  seminary  was  left  with  the  native  teachers.  This, 
of  course,  was  only  a  temporary  arrangement  till  a  new 
president  should  be  appointed. 

The  Rev.  W.  B.  Boggs  had  given  such  perfect  satisfac- 
tion during  the  two  years  he  acted  for  Dr.  Williams,  that 
there  was  a  very  general  desire  that  he  might  be  appointed 
president  of  the  seminary.  He  had  only  been  at  home 
ten  months  when  the  Executive  Committee  offered  him 
the  appointment,  and  he  immediately  canceled  the  bal- 
ance of  his  furlough  and  returned  to  India.  He  arrived 
in  Ramapatam  on  the  twenty-second  of  March,  1887,  and 
immediately  took  up  his  new  duties. 

The  work  has  grown  to  such  an  extent  that  Dr.  Boggs 
felt  he  must  have  an  assistant.  It  was,  therefore,  a  great 
joy  to  hira  when  his  ow^n  son,  Mr.  W.  E.  Boggs,  after  com- 
pleting his  college  and  seminary  course,  offered  himself 
to  our  Board  for  educational  work,  and  was  accepted  and 


RAMAPATAM.  149 

designated  to  the  Telugu  Mission.  He  and  his  wife  ar- 
rived at  Ramapatam  December  15,  1890,  where  they 
will  remain  for  the  present,  and  probably  be  associated 
with  Dr.  Boggs  in  the  seminary  work. 

Miss  E.  J.  Cummings,  m.  d.,  arrived  in  Madras  De- 
cember 13,  1886,  designated  to  Bapatla,  where  she 
began  her  medical  work.  Her  services  were  so  much  in 
demand  the  first  year,  that  she  had  no  fair  opportunity 
of  getting  the  language.  She  was  therefore  allowed  one 
year  free  from  all  work  but  study.  This  year  was  spent 
partly  in  Coonoor,  as  her  health  had  been  far  from  good. 
In  December,  1889,  she  was  again  prepared  for  medical 
work,  but  was  now  transferred  to  Ramapatam.  Here  she 
had  a  good  dispensary,  and  a  growing  practice  among  the 
women  of  Ramapatam  and  surrounding  villages.  She 
also  had  some  Bible  women  under  her  charge,  and  made 
occasional  trips  in  the  district  on  evangelistic,  as  well  as 
medical  work. 

In  1891,  Miss  Cummings  was  again  compelled  to  re- 
treat to  the  hills.  For  a  time  she  seemed  to  have  been 
restored  to  health ;  but  the  improvement  was  of  short 
duration,  and  early  in  the  present  year,  1892,  she  re- 
turned to  the  United  States. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE   DECCAN. 

Derivation  of  term  Deccan.  Limits  of  territory.  Conterminous  with  Ni- 
zam's Dominions.  Extent  and  inliabitants  of  these.  Their  capital.  The 
position  and  power  of  the  British  Resident.  Prospecting  tour  of  Mr.  Camp- 
bell. Settlement  at  Secunderal)ad.  Beginning  work.  Establishing  schools. 
Overcoming  false  impressions.  First  converts.  Touring  among  the  vil- 
lages. Novelty  of  voluntary,  unselfish  service.  Missionary  colportage. 
Securing  a  mission  bungalow.  Advantages  of  its  location.  Tenure  of 
property  at  Secunderabad.  Rights  of  holders.  Laud  tenure  in  British 
India.  Of  two  kinds.  Government  justice.  Failure  of  Mrs.  Campbell's 
health.  Sincerity  of  idolaters.  An  instance  given  by  Mr.  Campbell. 
Power  of  the  caste  system.  Its  great  idndrance.  Recognition  of  it  by  so- 
called  Christian  missions.  Baleful  character  of  caste.  People  convinced 
but  held  back.  Trying  transfer  of  missionary  workers.  A  new  station  at 
Nalgonda.  Withdrawal  of  the  Campbells  because  of  ill  health.  Difficult  to 
understand.  Mission  at  Ilanamakonda.  Derivation  of  name.  Situation 
of.  Establishment  of  Mr.  Loughridge.  His  first  convert.  Going  and 
coming  of  missionaries.  Sclf-supi)ort  of  the  mission.  High  character  of 
the  work  done  by  unsalaried  nalive  helpers.  The  policy  of  self-sui)port. 
Work  at  Palmur.  Establislnuent  of  mission  by  Mr.  Chute.  Caste  people 
readied.  Organization  of  a  church  and  school.  Opening  of  a  government 
school.  Opposition  on  account  of  caste.  Government  protection.  Station 
at  Nalgonda.  The  missionary  from  Russia.  Supported  by  the  Baptist 
churches  of  that  country.    Success  of  tlie  mission. 

THE  term  Dekhan  or  Deccan  is  from  the  Sanskrit  word 
"  Dakshina,"  south,  and  was  originally  applied  to 
the  whole  peninsula  of  Hindustan  south  of  the  Vindhya 
Mountains.  Later,  however,  it  was  restricted  to  that  por- 
tion lying  between  the  rivers  Nurbudda  and  Krishna. 
Strictly  speaking,  therefore,  Co  Canada,  Bimilipatam,  etc., 
may  all  be  said  to  be  in  the  Deccan.  But  as  the  greater 
portion  of  it  is  included  in  the  territory  of  the  Nizam  of 
150 


THE   DECCAN.  151 

Hyderabad,  the  term  is  usually  confined  to  his  dominions. 
At  all  events  that  is  the  meaning  given  to  it  in  these  pages. 
Under  this  title  will  be  considered  our  four  stations, 
Secunderabad,  Hanamakonda,  Palmur,  and  Nalgonda. 

The  territory  of  the  Nizam's  Dominions  covers  an  area 
of  ninety-five  thousand  square  miles,  and  contains  a  popu- 
lation of  ten  millions.  Although  the  Nizam  is  a  Moham- 
medan, most  of  his  subjects  are  Hindus,  and  among  the 
latter  are  over  four  millions  of  Telugus.  The  Nizam's 
capital  is  Hyderabad — from  haider,  a  lion,  and  bad,  a  town. 
It  is  well  named,  if  we  may  judge  from  the  fierce,  savage, 
and  wicked  appearance  of  its  inhabitants. 

Secunderabad  is  five  miles  distant  from  Hyderabad,  and 
contains  about  fifty  thousand  inhabitants.  It  is  a  British 
cantonment,  having  one  of  the  largest  forces  of  British 
troops  in  India.  Between  these  two  cities  is  the  British 
residency,  a  small  city  of  itself.  Besides  the  palace  of  the 
resident  and  a  number  of  ofiicers'  houses,  there  is  accom- 
modation for  a  regiment  of  troops.  The  State  is  nominally 
independent,  but  practically  is  governed,  to  a  large  extent, 
by  the  British  Besident.  He  is  supposed  simply  to 
advise  the  Nizam  and  protect  British  interests,  but  his 
advice  is  seldom  disregarded. 

The  Rev.  W.  W.  Campbell,  who  accompanied  Mr. 
Clough  on  his  return  to  India  in  1874,  made  a  prospect- 
ing tour  up  into  the  Nizam's  country  at  the  close  of  tliat 
year,  with  a  view  to  opening  a  mission  station  if  it  should 
appear  inviting.  He  left  Ongole  on  the  7th  of  December, 
traveling  by  road  in  a  country  cart,  which  enabled  him 
to  see  much  of  the  country  and  the  people  among  whom 
he  sought  to  labor.     He  reached  Secunderabad  on  the 


152  HISTOKY   OF   THE   TELUGU    MISSION. 

23d  of  the  same  month,  and  spent  a  week  gathering  what 
information  he  could.  The  impressions  received  were  so 
favorable  that  he  at  once  wrote  to  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee requesting  an  appointment  to  Secunderabad.  Tliis 
came  in  March,  1875,  and  on  the  28d  of  June  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Campbell  set  out  for  their  new  field.  They  reached 
Secunderabad  on  the  3d  of  July,  and  the  following  day, 
Sunday,  they  began  their  work  by  holding  a  service  in  the 
travelers'  bungalow  where  they  had  baited.  There  were 
only  four  natives  present.  But  this  attendance  was  in- 
creased to  thirteen  the  next  time  they  met.  Mrs.  Campbell 
entered  earnestly  into  the  work,  and  succeeded  in  gather- 
ing from  the  native  hamlets  sixteen  dirty  and  ragged  little 
children  whom  she  organized  into  a  Sunday-school.  Next 
Sunday  she  had  twenty-three.  She  also  opened  a  day  school 
which  grew  until  there  were  forty-seven  pupils,  when  a 
panic  was  raised  by  a  rumor  that  the  children  were  to  be 
forcibly  baptized.  This  reduced  the  number  to  fourteen, 
but  by  Mrs.  Campbell's  persistent  efforts  the  stampede  was 
arrested,  and  by  November  the  number  had  increased  to 
seventy. 

On  the  14th  of  November,  1875,  a  church  was  organized. 
The  constituent  members  consisted  of  a  few  native  helpers 
from  Ongole,  and  a  few  native  Eurasian  and  European 
Christians  of  Secunderabad,  altogether  fourteen. 

Although  most  of  Mr.  Campbell's  time  was  occupied  in 
getting  settled  in  Secunderabad,  he  found  time  to  do  con- 
siderable touring  among  the  villages.  In  these  tours  he 
was  usually  well  received,  though  in  many  places  it  was 
the  first  time  the  people  ever  saw  a  missionary.  Here 
and  there  he  met  with  opposition,  but  he  soon  convinced 


THE   DECCAN.  153 

the  people  that  he  had  come  to  live  among  them  as  a 
friend,  that  they  had  notliing  to  fear  from  him,  and  that 
he  sought  only  their  good. 

After  a  year  and  a  half  of  patient,  earnest  labor  Mr. 
Campbell  was  rewarded  by  seeing  his  first  native  converts 
confessing  Christ,  in  December,  1876.  The  first  was  a  lad 
who,  after  listening  attentively  and  apparently  taking  in 
the  truth,  rose  gp  and  said :  "  I  will  go  and  call  father 
and  mother."  They  came,  and  all  three  were  hopefully 
converted  and  baptized.  There  was  also  an  interesting 
work  among  the  soldiers  of  the  cantonment,  resulting  in 
the  establishment  of  a  regular  English  prayer  meeting 
and  several  conversions. 

Toward  the  end  of  1877,  Mr.  Campbell  made  a  number 
of  tours  among  the  villages.  There  was  but  one  village 
where  there  were  any  Christians,  so  that  it  was  still  pioneer 
work,  but  with  this  difierence,  that  wherever  he  had  been 
before  the  reception  given  him  was  much  more  cordial. 
The  single  Christian  family  referred  to  was  delighted  to  see 
the  missionary.  After  talking  and  praying  with  them,  the 
other  villagers  who  had  gathered  round  said  that  the  first 
time  he  came  they  had  great  fear.  They  fastened  their 
doors  and  remained  concealed  till  he  had  gone.  Now  that 
fear  had  all  gone  for  they  knew  he  was  their  friend.  Some- 
times the  fear  was  that  the  missionary  had  come  to  get 
money  from  them.  They  had  no  conception  of  a  man  work- 
ing and  traveling  about  the  country  at  great  expense  who 
did  not  get  government  pay,  or  who  did  not  collect  or  extort 
money  from  the  people.  Voluntary  service  and  "  all  these 
good  words  for  nothii^  "  was  what  they  could  not  under- 
stand. 


154  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

Mr.  Campbell,  like  every  other  good  missionary,  laid 
much  stress  on  colportage.  He  usually  kept  at  least  one 
man  who  devoted  his  whole  time  to  selling  tracts  and  Scrip- 
ture portions.  He  also  expected  his  preachers  to  do  more 
or  less  of  this  work,  but  as  they  labored  chiefly  among  the 
lower  class,  few  of  whom  could  read,  their  sales  were  not 
large.  The  colporteur,  on  the  other  hand,  went  among  the 
educated  classes  and  sold  many  tracts  and  books.  He 
also  opened  a  book  depot  in  the  city,  Avhere  religious  and 
educational  books  were  sold. 

In  1878,  a  mission  bungalow  was  secured  in  a  very 
favorable  location.  It  is  near  enough  to  the  native  popu- 
lation to  be  convenient  for  work,  and  yet  sufficiently 
distant  to  avoid  the  nuisance  of  a  too  close  proximity  to  a 
native  village.  In  1881,  a  building  adjoining  the  bunga- 
low was  secured  and  remodeled  into  a  chapel  and  school- 
house.  The  holding  of  property  in  Secunderabad  is  pecu- 
liar. Being  a  British  cantonment,  all  the  land  is  held  by 
government  and  can  neither  be  bought  nor  sold.  It  is 
simply  leased  to  the  owners  of  houses  with  the  distinct 
understanding  that  it  must  be  given  up  whenever  required 
for  government  purposes.  In  such  cases,  however,  the 
government  usually  takes  the  buildings  at  a  fair  price,  but 
if  on  account  of  the  price  offered,  or  any  other  reason,  the 
owner  refuses  the  terms,  he  is  at  liberty  to  remove  his 
buildings,  but  must  give  up  the  land.  In  British  India 
the  land  tenure  is  of  two  kinds.  (1)  That  which  is  held 
by  government  and  leased  to  occupants,  and  (2)  that 
which  is  given  or  sold  outright.  In  the  latter  case  the 
land  is  as  absolutely  the  owner's  as  property  in  the  United 
States,  and  is  never  interfered  with  })y  government  except 


THE   DECCAX.  155 

when  required  for  some  such  purpose  as  a  railway,  or  other 
works  that  are  for  public  good.  In  such  cases  the  land 
can  be  taken  up,  but  compensation  is  given  not  only  for 
the  market  value  of  the  land,  but  for  buildings,  trees,  and 
every  other  legal  or  reasonable  claim.  Thus  a  strip  of 
land  has  recently  been  cut  off  from  the  Nellore  compound 
for  the  Nellore  Railway.  The  land  originally  cost  only 
two  hundred  and  fifty  rupees,  but  in  settling  the  compen- 
sation, the  question  was  not  what  it  originally  cost,  but 
what  it  was  worth  when  taken  up,  and  hence  it  realized 
to  the  mission  three  thousand  one  hundred  rupees. 

For  several  years  the  health  of  Mrs.  Campbell  had 
been  very  poor.  Every  possible  means  were  employed  to 
regain  health,  and  avoid  relinquishing  the  work  to  which 
she  was  devotedly  attached.  In  the  judgment  of  some 
she  remained  much  longer  than  her  health  warranted ; 
but  she  was  finally  compelled,  in  i\Iay,  1881,  to  lay  down 
her  much-loved  work  and  return  home.  She  was  ca  ried 
on  board  the  steamer  at  Bombay  on  a  cot,  and  great  fears 
were  entertained  that  she  would  never  see  her  native  land. 
But  she  rallied  on  the  voyage  and  reached  home  in  safety, 
but  has  never  been  able  to  return  to  India.  Mr.  Camp- 
bell returned  in  November,  1882,  and  resumed  his  work. 
The  Rev.  Elbert  Chute  and  an  ife  arrived  in  Secunderabad 
at  the  same  time,  and  began  the  study  of  Telugu,  with  a 
view  to  opening  a  new  station  in  the  Deccan. 

In  giving  an  account  of  his  work  for  1883,  Mr.  Camp- 
bell says :  "  I  have  been  led,  during  the  year,  to  realize 
more  fully  than  ever  the  sincerity  of  the  poor  idolater. 
The  example  which  has  particularly  impressed  me  is  that 
of  a  carpenter,  who  has  been  considerably  in  my  employ, 


156  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU    mTsSION. 

teaching  the  schoolboys  his  trade.  He  is  a  most  devout 
idolater.  He  has  a  room  set  apart  to  his  household  gods, 
where  he  performs  each  morning  his  worship.  I  have 
seen  him  at  it  many  times,  and  he  lias  shown  me  his  idols, 
and  prides  himself  on  his  devotions.  I  have  had  many 
talks  with  him.  He  acknowledges  the  truth,  but  does  not 
forsake  his  idolatry.  He  attended  our  chapel  services  a 
number  of  times,  and  I  gave  him  a  New  Testament.  I 
think  I  was  leading  him  on,  and  that  he  was  becoming 
more  and  more  interested,  when  his  friends  began  to  mis- 
trust that  he  was  being  influenced,  and  opposition  began. 
He  was  taunted  about  reading  the  New  Testament,  etc. 
He  told  me  of  this,  and  said  :  *  My  relatives,  of  whom  I 
have  many  here,  are  all  in  this  way.'  As  much  as  to 
say  :  '  I  cannot  break  from  them  and  their  religion.'  The 
power  of  caste  and  social  relations  is  a  mighty  power  of 
Satan  to  keep  souls  in  his  grasp." 

This  is  by  no  means  a  rare  case.  We  know  of  one 
identical  in  almost  every  particular,  where  a  carpenter 
expressed  his  purpose  to  be  baptized,  and  even  broke  his 
caste  by  eating  with  Christians,  but  at  last  yielded  to  the 
seductions  of  Satan,  and  abandoned  the  worship  of  God 
for  that  of  dumb  idols.  Those  who  predict  the  speedy 
downfall  of  Hinduism  because  of  the  wide-spread  influ- 
ence of  education,  Bible  distribution,  and  even  a  mental 
acquiescence  in  the  truths  of  Christianity,  little  know  the 
terrible  hold  that  caste  has  upon  its  victims.  Mr.  Chute, 
in  his  first  report,  says  :  "  Several  of  the  caste  people 
have  asked  for  baptism,  but  after  learning  that  they  must 
sacrifice  caste,  have  stopped  to  consider  the  subject." 
And  so  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  of  Hindus  are 


THE   DECCAX.  157 

convinced  of  the  truth  of  Christianity,  but  are  bound  hand 
and  foot  by  caste.  And  yet,  strange  to  say,  there  are  so- 
called  Christian  missions  in  India  that  not  only  wink  at 
caste,  but  even  practice  it.  If  there  ever  was  a  snare  of 
the  devil  more  bewitching  and  more  cruel  to  its  victims 
than  another,  that  one  is  Hindu  caste. 

About  six  months  of  1885  were  spent  in  touring. 
During  these  tours  many  seemed  on  the  verge  of  giving 
themselves  to  Christ ;  but  the  great  enemy  was  on  guard, 
and  in  many  ways  so  intimidated  the  poor  people  that 
they  did  not  dare  to  forsake  idol  worship.  Still  the  good 
seed  was  sown  broadcast,  with  earnest  prayer  that  in  due 
time  a  harvest  would  be  reaped. 

In  May  of  this  year,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chute,  who  had  been 
in  the  country  two  and  a  half  years,  and  besides  studying 
the  language  had  done  a  good  deal  of  direct  mission 
work,  removed  to  their  own  field  at  Palmur.  Also  in 
November,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Newcomb,  Avho  came  out  to  Se- 
cunderabad  as  assistant  missionaries  to  Mr.  Campbell  in 
July,  1884,  were  transferred  to  Cumbum,  to  look  after  the 
work  there  during  Mr.  Boggs'  absence  in  America.  It 
was  a  great  trial  to  Mr.  Campbell's  patience,  as  well  as 
faith,  to  have  these  assistants  removed  just  as  thev  were 
beginning  to  be  useful  to  him.  But  the  work  at  Cumbum 
was  urgent,  and  there  was  no  other  man  available.  Thus 
Mr.  Campbell  was  left  entirely  alone  at  Secunderabad, 
Mrs.  Campbell  being,  still  an  invalid  at  home. 

The  most  interesting  feature  of  the  work  on  this  field 
in  1886,  was  the  opening  up  of  Nalgonda,  which  Mr. 
Campbell  thought  ought  to  become  a  new  station  at  no 
distant  day.     Believing  that  this  would  be  the  case,  he 


158  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSIOX. 

applied  to  government  for  a  piece  of  land  for  a  mission 
compouDd.  This  was  secured,  and  a  small  mission  bouse 
was  erected  as  a  sort  of  rest  house  for  the  missionary  till 
a  better  could  be  supplied.  The  work  in  this  section  was 
most  encouraging,  and  Mr.  Campbell  had  great  hopes  re- 
specting it.  As  we  shall  see  later  on,  his  expectations 
were  not  disappointed. 

The  Rev.  R.  Maplesden,  formerly  of  Nursaraopetta, 
returned  from  his  furlough  and  ari'ived  at  Secunderabad 
December  7th,  1887.  Owing  to  the  continued  and  serious 
illness  of  Mrs.  Campbell,  Mr.  Campbell  was  called  home, 
and  arrived  in  New  York  June  7th,  1888.  It  is  very 
difficult  to  understand  why  two  such  earnest  and  devoted 
missionaries  should  be  kept  at  home,  when  the  work  they 
so  dearly  loved  suffers  for  the  lack  of  just  such  laborers. 
We  must,  however,  trust  the  providences  of  God. 

Mr.  Campbell's  departure  left  Mr.  Maplesden  in  sole 
charge  at  Secunderabad.  The  Nalgonda  portion  of  the 
field  continued  to  interest  the  missionaries  greatly,  and  in 
January,  1889,  Mr.  Maplesden  reported  the  baptism  of 
forty  converts.  This  led  him  to  renew  with  greater  em- 
phasis the  appeal  for  a  man  for  Nalgonda.  The  Board 
responded  to  this  by  appointing  the  Rev.  A.  Friesen,  from 
Southern  Russia,  who,  with  his  wife,  arrived  in  Madras 
November  16th,  and  proceeded  at  once  to  Secunderabad. 

The  mission  at  Hanamakonda  may  occupy  our  atten- 
tion for  a  little. 

Hanamakonda  derives  its  name  from  "  Hanaman,"  the 
monkey  god,  and  "konda,"  a  hill ;  hence,  "the  hill  of  the 
monkey  god."     It  is  a  town  in  the  Nizam's  Dominions 


THE   DEOCAN.  159 

situated  between  the  rivers  Godavery  and  Kistna,  and  is 
eighty-six  miles  northeast  of  Secunderabad.  It  is  four 
and  a  half  miles  from  Worungal,  the  capital  of  the  an- 
cient Telugu  kings,  and  is  built  within  the  walls  that  sur- 
rounded that  once  famous  city.  The  population  is  about 
eight  thousand. 

In  December,  1878,  Messrs.  Campbell  and  Loughridge 
paid  a  visit  to  Hanamakonda,  and  were  so  favorably  im- 
pressed that  Mr.  Loughridge  applied  to  the  Executive 
Committee  for  permission  to  open  a  station  there.  This 
was  granted,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Loughridge  arrived,  and 
began  mission  work  there  January  11th,  1879.  Although 
Mr.  Day  had  visited  and  preached  in  Hanamakonda 
over  forty  years  before,  the  field  was  practically  new, 
so  far  as  the  gospel  was  concerned.  Whatever  effect 
Mr.  Day's  preaching  had  produced,  had  long  since 
passed  away. 

After  a  year  of  labor  among  this  people  wholly  given 
up  to  idolatry,  Mr.  Loughridge  baptized  his  first  convert, 
and  soon  after,  four  more.  A  church  was  organized  on 
the  4th  of  January,  1880,  and  Sunday  services  and  Sun- 
day-school were  established,  and  continued  from  that  day 
on.  A  small  day  school  had  also  been  opened.  Mrs. 
Loughridge  entered  earnestly  into  this  school  work  and 
work  among  the  \vomen  of  Hanamakonda,  and  continued 
it  for  about  a  year,  when  her  health  completely  broke 
down,  and  she  was  obliged  to  leave  the  country.  She 
sailed  for  home  in  March,  1881.  Mr.  Loughridge  went 
with  her  as  far  as  England.  Before  he  returned,  Mr. 
Campbell  had  gone  to  England  on  the  same  errand.  So 
Mr.  Loughridge  took  charge  of  Secunderabad  until  Mr. 


160  HISTORY   OF   IHE   TELUGU   MISSION, 

Campbell  returned,  and  then  resumed  his  own  work  at 
Hanamakonda. 

The  Rev.  A.  A.  Newhall,  after  several  years'  absence,  in 
the  United  States,  returned  to  India  in  January,  1883, 
and  joined  Mr.  Loughridge  in  work  at  Hanamakonda. 
As  the  latter  was  busy  erecting  a  bungalow,  Mr.  Newhall 
devoted  his  time  chiefly  to  touring  in  the  district.  In 
1884,  after  completing  the  bungalow  and  chapel,  Mr. 
Loughridge  returned  to  America,  leaving  Mr.  Newhall 
in  charge  of  the  work. 

On  the  22d  of  September,  Mr.  Newhall  and  Miss  Marie 
Menke,  of  Madras,  were  married  at  Secunderabad,  and  on 
the  24th  proceeded  to  Hanamakonda.  In  November, 
Miss  Bertha  Menke,  arrived  from  Germany  and  united 
with  her  sister,  Mrs.  Newhall,  in  work  among  the  girls 
and  women  of  Hanamakonda.  At  the  close  of  1884  the 
membership  had  increased  to  sixteen,  with  twelve  pupils 
in  the  day  school. 

Both  Mr.  Loughridge  and  Mr.  Newhall  had  made  an 
earnest  effort  to  make  the  work  at  Hanamakonda  self- 
supporting.  Hitherto  the  only  two  native  preachers  had 
supported  themselves  by  cultivating  a  small  piece  of  land, 
and  preaching  in  their  own  neighborhood  as  they  had 
opportunity.  This  may  perhaps  account,  in  part  at  least, 
for  the  slow  progress  that  had  been  made.  In  1885,  a 
departure  from  this  policy  had  been  made  in  the  appoint- 
ing of  two  young  men,  who  had  received  some  training 
at  the  station  school,  as  preachers  on  a  small  salary. 
The  following  year,  however,  one  of  these  was  thrown 
upon  his  own  resources  and  the  other  partial^  adopted  by 
the  church.     The  next  year  Mr.  Newhall  reported  that 


THE  DECCAN.  161 

all  the  paid  evangelistic  work  had  been  borne  by  the 
church.  He  said  :  "  The  quantity  of  such  evangelistic 
work  is,  of  course,  much  less  in  each  case  than  if  the 
preacher  was  supported  out  of  mission  funds;  but  the 
quality  is,  I  believe,  far  superior  to  that  formerly  done 
under  salary."  He  cites  the  case  of  one  who  had  not 
even  the  name  of  being  a  "  helper  "  and  who,  although  he 
knew  very  little  of  the  gospel  himself,  had  been  most  zeal- 
ous in  making  known  that  little  to  his  fellow-men.  On 
visiting  the  place  five  persons  were  found  believing,  and 
ready  for  baptism.  They  were  baptized  and  gathered  into 
a  little  independent  church. 

The  opening  of  a  railway  between  Secunderabad  and 
Hanamakonda  made  considerable  change  in  the  station 
and  the  work.  The  bitter  opposition  of  native  officials 
gradually  gave  way,  and  the  influx  of  European  and 
Eurasian  officials  seemed  to  demand  some  efforts  in  Eng- 
lish work.  An  English  service  was  held  on  Sundays  when 
the  missionary  was  at  the  station. 

The  policy  of  self-support  seems  to  have  received  a 
slight  set-back  in  1888.  In  his  report,  Mr.  Newhall  says : 
"  The  disadvantage  of  being  obliged  to  labor  without 
competent  native  assistants  has  been  providentially  re- 
moved, and  we  now  have  the  services  of  two  well- trained 
preachers,  whose  spirit  and  faithfulness  have  given  us 
much  gratification.  They  have  been  supported  mostly 
out  of  mission  funds,  as  the  church  members  have  been 
very  backward  in  paying  their  subscriptions  for  the  past 
year.  Our  third  preacher,  however,  continued  to  support 
himself"  Six  converts  were  baptized  during  that  year, 
making  the  number  of  members  on  the  field,  thirty-three. 

I. 


162  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU    MISSION. 

Broken  health  compelled  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Newhall  to 
leave  their  work  and  return  home  early  in  1890.  Mr. 
Maplesden  undertook  to  look  after  the  work  at  Hanama- 
konda,  as  well  as  his  own,  till  a  successor  to  Mr.  Newhall 
could  be  sent  out  from  home. 

Palmur  is  a  village  in  the  Deccan,  about  fifty  miles 
south  of  Secunderabad.  The  Rev.  E.  Chute  and  Avife 
arrived  in  Secunderbabad  in  November,  1882.  After 
spending  some  time  in  the  study  of  Telugu,  Mr.  Chute 
began  making  short  tours  in  the  southern  portion  of  that 
field.  The  work  opened  up  so  well  in  the  vicinity  of 
Palmur  that  it  was  selected  as  a  suitable  place  for  a  new 
station.  He  continued  working  the  field  from  Secundera- 
bad till  jNIay,  1885,  when  he  and  his  family  removed  to 
Palmur.  Soon  after  arriving  he  applied  to  government 
for  a  piece  of  land,  and  secured  some  five  acres  in  a 
healthful  location. 

A  peculiarity  of  the  work  at  Palmur  is  that  from  the 
very  start  the  caste  people  appear  to  have  been  reached, 
and  quite  a  number  of  the  leading  natives  of  the  district 
were  converted  and  baptized.  A  church  was  organized 
on  the  28th  of  June,  consisting  of  twenty-seven  members. 
A  school  was  also  opened,  which  in  a  fev>^  months  had 
eighty-two  pupils.  In  this  school  a  number  of  the  castes 
were  represented  and  it  was  open  to  all  alike.  This  work, 
however,  received  a  serious  check  the  following  year  by 
the  opening  of  a  government  school  in  the  village,  and  a 
law  was  passed  that  all  the  caste  pupils  should  attend  this 
school.  The  mission  school  work  was  therefore  confined 
chiefly  to  the  boarding  school. 


THE   DECCAN.  163 

But  the  evangelistic  work  went  on  with  more  and  more 
success,  even  among  the  caste  people.  Still  there  was  a 
great  deal  of  opposition  on  account  of  caste,  so  much  that 
the  missionary  had  to  resort  to  the  courts  for  protection 
and  redress.  The  authorities  being  friendly,  the  opposers 
were  intimidated  and  the  Christians  greatly  encouraged. 
Building  operations  prevented  the  missionary  from  tour- 
ing as  much  as  he  would  have  desired ;  still  some  tours 
were  made  and  everywhere  with  most  encouraging  suc- 
cess. There  were  now  Christians  living  in  about  thirty 
villages  of  the  district. 

Miss  Leoni  Chute  joined  her  brother  in  mission  work 
at  Palmur,  December  5,  1887.  This  was  a  welcome 
addition  to  the  missionary  force  and  one  from  which 
much  good  was  confidently  expected. 

Nalgonda  is  the  fouth  station  in  the  Deccan,  and  the 
last  that  was  added  to  the  mission  up  to  1891.  It  is  situ- 
ated about  sixty  miles  southeast  of  Secunderabad.  The 
place  was  selected  as  a  mission  station  by  Mr.  Campbell, 
who  erected  a  small  building  as  a  place  for  the  missionary 
to  stay  while  touring  in  the  vicinity.  The  Rev.  A. 
Friesen  was  designated  to  this  station,  and  after  spending 
about  a  year  at  Secunderabad  studying  the  language,  he 
and  Mi's.  Friesen  removed  to  Nalgonda  in  October,  1890. 
Mr.  Friesen  is  supported  by  the  Baptist  churches  of 
Russia.  He  is  a  man  of  excellent  spirit,  and  from  the 
first  his  work  at  ISTalgonda  has  been  prosperous.  Forty- 
seven  converts  were  baptized  very  soon  after  Mr.  Friesen 
removed  to  his  new  station. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

KURNOOL,  CUMBUM,  AND  MADRAS. 

The  mission  at  Kiirnool.  A  deputation  to  Ongole.  A  tour  by  Mr.  Clough. 
Results  therefrom.  Organization  of  churches  at  Kurnool  and  Atmakur. 
Postponement  of  baptisms.  Failure  of  Mr.  Drake's  health.  Need  of 
"spare"  men  at  the  missions.  Reinforcements  and  mission  promises. 
Decrease  of  membership.  Accounting  for  this.  Mr.  Morgan's  account. 
Want  of  mission  cliapel  felt.  Backwardness  of  education.  Discontinuance 
of  mission  scliools.  A  significant  fact.  Possible  causes  of  the  mission's 
decline.  Mr.  Morgan's  illness  and  departure  from  the  field.  Assumption 
of  work  by  Mr.  Sillimaii.  A  discouraging  field.  Changes  at  the  mission. 
Securing  needful  buildings.  The  mission  at  Cumbum.  Mr.  Boggs'  ap- 
pointment and  re-a})pointment.  Opening  a  mission  station.  The  work  of 
training  the  converts.  Famine  impetus  toward  Christianity.  Among  the 
Madagas  principally.  Idol  houses  giving  place  to  schoolhouses.  Lack  of 
a  spirit  of  independence  among  the  Hindus.  Answer  of  caste  people. 
Native  unconsciousness  as  to  "ought."  Need  of  a  native  reformer.  Mr. 
Boggs  as  a  railway  contractor.  Enforced  change  of  missionaries  again.  A 
ripened  field.  Successful  work  of  a  new  missionary.  "  Smaller  fields  or 
more  missionaries."  A  successful  school  A  new  bungalow.  A  large  in- 
crease. Madras.  The  English  foundation.  Commercial  importance. 
Lack  of  harbor  facilities.  Reasons  for  the  estalilishmeut  of  a  mission 
there.  Beginning  by  Dr.  Jewett.  Zenana  work.  Additional  forces.  Need 
of  permanent  quarters.  Their  secnrenieut  by  Dr  Clough.  A  new  com- 
pound. The  construction  of  a  new  chapel.  Costing  a  missionary's  life. 
Other  changes.  Caste  schools  Return  thence  of  the  Jewetts.  Death 
of  Mr.  Waterbury.  The  English  mission  church.  Mr.  Drake's  pastorate. 
Work  among  tlie  women  and  girls  General  influence  of  the  mission. 
Mere  numbers  not  its  measure.    Numbers  in  Madras  likely  to  be  small. 

KURNOOL  is  on  the  Tungs^budra  River,  about  ooe 
hundred  and  sixty-eight  miles  west  of  Ongole  and 
about  the  same  distance  south  of  Hyderabad.  It  has  a 
population  of  twenty  thousand  three  hundred  and  twenty- 
niiio. 

164 


165 

In  1871,  several  converts  were  made  from  a  village 
near  Cumbum,  and  subsequently  others  were  converted 
from  the  same  village.  Early  in  1875,  a  deputation 
came  from  Atmakur,  near  Kurnool,  to  Ongole,  and 
asked  for  a  preacher  to  be  sent  to  their  village.  Two 
preachers,  Paul  and  Guraviah,  were  sent  and  soon  after 
converts  were  reported.  In  November  of  that  year,  Mr. 
Clough  and  the  Rev.  D.  H.  Drake,  who  joined  the  mission 
at  Ramapatam  in  January,  1875,  made  a  trip  to  Kurnool. 
They  reached  Atmakur  November  29th,  and  next  day 
Mr.  Clough  preached  to  a  large  number  in  the  Madiga 
Palem.  At  noon  a  number  of  inquirers  appeared  at  the 
tent,  and  as  they  really  seemed  to  be  converted,  it  was 
decided  to  remain  another  day.  An  inquiry  meeting  was 
held,  and  in  the  early  morning  of  December  1st,  twenty- 
six  were  baptized.  The  converts  selected  Guraviah  as 
their  pasior,  and  chose  out  from  their  own  number  certain 
ones  to  be  their  leaders  or  deacons. 

On  the  way  back  Mr  Drake  was  taken  with  fever,  and 
continued  ill  for  two  months  after  his  return  to  Rama- 
patam. In  August,  1876,  he  removed  to  Kurnool.  Soon 
after  the  great  famine  began,  yet  a  number  of  tours  was 
made  resulting  in  the  baptism  of  twenty-two  converts. 

The  Kurnool  Church  was  organized  on  the  23rd  of 
December,  1877,  composed  of  the  twenty-two  baptized  in 
1876,  five  dismissed  by  letter  from  Ongole,  and  one  from 
Ramapatam.  The  Atmakur  Church  was  organized  on 
the  following  Sunday,  December  30th,  composed  of 
twenty  of  the  twenty-six  baptized  by  Mr.  Clough  in 
December,  1875,  to  whom  letters  of  dismission  had  beefi 
granted  from  the  Ongole  Church.     Of  the  other  six,  four 


166  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

had  died  and  two  were  excluded  for  drunkenness.  The 
day  ioUowing  the  organization  thirty-one  converts  were 
baptized.  A  week  later  seventy  more  were  baptized  in 
another  village.  At  the  close  of  the  year,  three  hundred 
were  reported  ready  for  baptism,  but  it  was  considered 
best  to  postpone  the  baptisms  till  after  the  famine. 

In  January,  1879,  famine  relief  being  all  ended,  Mr. 
Drake  felt  that  he  could  no  longer  refuse  baptism  to  those 
who  for  more  than  a  year  had  professed  faith  in  Christ 
and  were  begging  to  be  baptized.  He  fully  expected  to 
baptize  several  hundreds,  and  had  begun  the  work  when 
he  was  prostrated  with  illness  and  was  obliged  to  relin- 
quish his  field  in  the  very  midst  of  a  precious  harvest. 
He  succeeded  in  baptizing  twenty-nine  at  one  place  and 
thirty-five  at  another,  and  still  others  were  importuning 
him  to  be  received ;  but  he  had  not  the  strength  to  con- 
tinue, and  reluctantly  he  had  to  leave  Kurnool  and  pro- 
ceed to  Madras,  from  which  port  he  sailed  for  America, 
March  25,  1879. 

For  a  missionary  in  the  prime  of  life  to  break  down 
and  be  obliged  to  leave  his  chosen  work  is  sad  enough 
under  any  circumstances,  but  it  is  peculiarly  so  when  this 
happens  in  the  midst  of  a  glorious  ingathering.  One  is 
constrained  to  ask,  will  the  time  ever  come  when,  in  a 
mission  like  this,  there  will  be  a  spare  man  to  step  into 
such  a  gap  and  gather  in  the  sheaves  instead  of  leaving 
them  neglected  on  the  field  ? 

In  December,  1879,  the  Rev.  F.  E.  Morgan  and  wife 
arrived  in  Nellore,  and  soon  after  removed  to  Kurnool. 
There  was  as  yet  no  mission  bungalow,  so  that  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Morgan  had  to  live  in  a  small  hired  house,  neither 


KURNOOL,  CUM  BUM,  AND  MADRAS      167 

very  comfortable  nor  in  a  very  healthful  location.  This, 
however,  was  only  temporary.  An  appropriation  of  five 
thousand  rupees  was  made  that  year  for  the  purchase  of  a 
site  and  erection  of  a  mission  house.  This  was  com- 
pleted and  occupied  in  1882. 

During  1880,  Mr.  Morgan  had  baptized  forty-seven, 
making  the  membership  two  hundred  and  ninety-seven. 
But  in  the  following  year  the  number  had  decreased  to 
two  hundred  and  eighty-three ;  in  1882,  to  one  hundred 
and  ninety-one ;  and  in  1884,  to  one  hundred  and  forty- 
four.  It  will  be  just  for  all  parties  concerned  if  we  let 
Mr.  Morgan  speak  for  himself  in  accounting  for  this 
decrease  in  membership.  Under  date  of  July  1,  1882,  he 
wrote :  "  I  have  for  a  long  time  known  that  there  were 
many  who  showed  little  or  no  interest  in  the  work  of  the 
church,  and  that  unless  they  reformed  they  would  in  time 
have  to  be  excluded.  I  felt  that  the  time  had  come  when 
it  was  necessary  for  the  church  to  take  action  ^out 
them.  The  preacher  at  Atmakur,  in  whose  judgment 
and  piety  I  have  confidence,  and  who  is  personally 
acquainted  with  the  facts  in  regard  to  most  of  these  per- 
sons, concurred  with  me.  At  a  meeting  in  April,  thirty- 
nine  members  of  the  Atmakur  Church  were  excluded; 
and  at  a  meeting  of  the  Kurnool  Church,  the  third  of 
June,  fifty-six  persons  were  excluded.  Previous  to  the 
June  meeting,  the  two  native  preachers  made  a  tour  to 
the  villages  for  the  especial  purpose  of  exhorting  to 
Christian  fidelity  many  who  had  long  neglected  their 
duties.  Of  these  ninety-five  persons,  there  are  some  who 
have  not  attended  a  meeting  of  the  church  since  I  came 
to  Kurnool.     Of  those  excluded,  fourteen  lived  in  a  vil- 


168  HISTOHY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

lage  three  miles  from  Atmakur ;  and  though  they  go  to 
Atmakur  frequently  on  market  day  (Sunday)  they  never 
attend  meetings,  which  are  regularly  held  in  the  chapel. 
Others  were  excluded  for  sins,  such  as  drinking  and  con- 
tracting heathen  marriages,  in  addition  to  neglect  of  their 
church  duties. 

"  In  July,  the  church  felt  compelled  to  exclude  a  large 
number  who  had  for  a  long  time  neglected  the  ordi- 
nances. Very  few  persons,  aside  from  the  small  number 
of  Christians  resident  in  Kurnool,  have  attended  the 
Sabbath-school  and  preaching  services  regularly  held  in 
the  mission  bungalow."  We  have  emphasized  the  last  two 
words  because,  while  we  believe  in  the  strictest  possible 
discipline,  and  that  "  neglect  of  the  ordinances"  is  a  suf- 
ficient cause  for  discipline,  yet  we  think  it  possible  thai 
neglect  to  provide  a  suitable  place  for  the  ordinances  may 
be  at  least  an  excuse  if  not  a  reason  for  such  neglect.  It 
is  now  more  than  twelve  years  since  the  Kurnool  Church 
was  organized,  yet  Kurnool  is  to-day  without  a  chapel." 

There  is  another  peculiarity  about  the  Kurnool  field 
which  may,  in  part,  account  for  this  unprecedented  decrease 
in  numbers.  In  the  mission  report  of  1880,  Mr.  Morgan 
wrote  :  "  In  the  matter  of  education  the  field  is  in  a  very 
backward  state.  A  number  of  our  Christians  are  fair 
scholars,  but  are  too  young  to  teach.  We  now  have  a 
good  school  at  Kurnool,  and  are  preparing  a  few  young 
men  to  teach,  so  that  a  want  we  feel  so  much  will  soon 
be  in  a  measure  supplied."  The  following  year  the  Kur- 
nool school,  Atmakur  school,  and  two  village  schools, 
were  reported  in  a  fair  state  of  prosperity.  But  in  1882, 
the  report  was :  "  The  Christians,  as  a  rule,  show  too  little 


KURNOOIi,    CUMBOM,    AND    MADRAS.  169 

interest  in  the  maintenance  of  schools.  The  preacher  at 
Atmakur,  speaking  of  the  Christians,  said  that  their 
failure  to  appreciate  the  importance  of  sustaiinng  a 
school  gave  him  great  sorrow ;  they  had  increased  in 
sobriety,  industry,  and  other  graces,  but  in  respect  to 
schools  they  had  not  progressed.  As  I  had  taken 
considerable  pains  in  having  a  teacher  prepared  for  the 
school,  I  felt  I  ought  not  to  contribute  mission  funds  to 
support  it."  Hence  the  school  was  closed.  Again  in  1883, 
he  said  :  "  I  regret  that  so  little  has  been  done  in  school 
work  during  the  year.  A  few  persons  whom  I  would  be 
glad  to  have  under  regular  instruction  cannot  come,  and 
others  will  not  come  at  their  own  parents'  expense."  In 
1884:  "  As  to  schools,  very  little  has  been  done;  "and 
finally  in  1885 :  "  I  regret  that  there  has  been  no  day 
school  during  the  year." 

Now,  whatever  may  be  our  theories  respecting  educa- 
tion in  missions,  it  is  a  significant  fact  that  the  only 
station  in  the  whole  mission  that  has  decreased  in  mem- 
bership, is  the  one  that  has  gone  from  "  a  good  station 
school "  and  three  village  schools,  to  no  school  at  all.  It 
may  be  that  a  stricter  discipline  than  is  practiced  in  other 
stations  is  the  real  cause  of  the  decline,  but  it  may  also 
be,  in  part  at  least,  in  an  attempt  to  force  a  theory  that  is 
impracticable. 

In  1885  and  1886,  Mr.  Morgan  spent  a  great  deal  of 
time  touring  in  the  district,  spending  more  time  than  he 
had  hitherto  done  in  each  place  visited.  Here  and  there 
he  saw  hopeful  signs  that  the  gospel  was  winning  its  way 
to  the  dark  and  stony  hearts  of  the  4)eople.  Two  converts 
were  baptized  in  November  of  the  latter  year,  and  three 


170  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU    MISSION. 

of  tbe  excluded  members  had  been  restored.  Only  one 
paid  assistant  had  been  employed  during  the  year  and  the 
Atmakur  Church  was  without  a  pastor.  On  the  whole, 
the  work  was  still  very  discouraging. 

Early  in  January,  1887,  Mr.  Morgan,  who  was  then  in 
the  Madras  General  Hospital  for  treatment  for  an  abscess 
in  the  throat,  was  advised  to  go  home  immediately.  He 
with  his  family  accordingly  sailed  from  Madras,  February 
4th,  under  circumstances  which  gave  rise  to  great  fears 
respecting  his  life,  and  very  little  encouragement  to  hope 
that  he  would  ever  return  to  India.  He  carried  with  him 
the  profoundest  respect  and  deepest  sympathy  of  the  mis- 
sion, and  was  followed  by  earnest  prayer  that  God  would 
graciously  spare  his  life  and,  if  possible,  return  him  to 
India. 

The  Rev.  E.  E.  Silliman,  who  joined  the  mission  at 
Madras  in  1884,  was  appointed  to  take  charge  of  Kurnool 
after  Mr.  Morgan's  departure.  As  Mr.  Silliman  had 
already  command  of  the  language,  he  was  enabled  to 
enter  at  once  into  the  work.  Two  months  after  his 
arrival,  he  reported  having  visited  the  larger  portion  of 
the  field,  and  having  personally  conversed  with  a  majority 
of  the  Christians.  He  said  that  the  country  west  of 
Kurnool  was  a  most  discouraging  field.  "The  instability 
of  the  first  converts  in  that  section,"  he  said,  "  has 
brought  the  church  into  great  disrepute."  Other  por- 
tions of  the  field,  and  notably  Atmakur,  he  reported  as 
much  more  hopeful.  There  were  three  churches  in  a 
fairly  prosperous  condition,  the  least  satisfactory  being 
the  one  in  Kurnool  town. 

Mr.  Silliman's  health  being  in  a  very  unsatisfactory 


KURNOOL,   CUMBUM,   AI^D    MADRAS.  171 

condition,  and  acting  upon  the  advice  of  the  best  medical 
authority  in  Madras,  he  handed  over  the  charge  of  the 
Kurnool  field  to  Mr.  Drake,  and  sailed  for  America  on 
the  25th  of  March,  1888.  As  Mr.  Drake  had  his  own  work 
to  attend  to  in  Madras,  he  could  give  but  little  attention  to 
Kurnool,  and  hence  this  unfortunate  field  was  left  without 
proper  missionary  care  until  December,  1890,  when  the 
Rev.  G.  N.  Thomssen  arrived  from  America  and  took 
charge  of  it. 

As  Mr.  Thomssen  had  some  years'  experience  as  a  mis- 
sionary at  Vinukonda,  he  did  not  need  to  spend  a  year  or 
two  in  getting  ready  for  direct  evangelistic  work,  but 
entered  upon  it  at  once.  But  he  saw  the  need  of  some 
additional  buildings,  and  particularly  a  chapel,  before  his 
work  in  Kurnool  could  be  very  effective.  To  the  procur- 
ing of  these  he  applied  himself  with  every  prospect  of 
success. 

Cumbum  is  a  small  town  in  the  Kurnool  District,  and  is 
situated  on  the  Gundlacumma  River,  sixty-seven  miles 
due  west  of  Ongole.  It  contains  about  eight  thousand 
inhabitants.  Being  near  the  foot  of  the  Eastern  Ghauts, 
a  very  bad  type  of  fever  usually  prevails  in  the  town. 
For  this  reason  the  mission  compound  is  situated  three 
miles  out  of  town,  in  a  fairly  healthful  locality. 

The  Rev.  W.  B.  Boggs  was  first  appointed  a  missionary 
by  the  Baptist  Board  of  the  Maritime  Provinces,  of 
Canada,  and  sailed  for  Siam  to  join  the  seven  missionaries 
who  had  gone  out  the  year  before  in  search  of  the  Karens 
that  were  said  to  be  found  in  that  country.  The  search 
proved  to  be  a  fruitless  one,  and  in  1875  the  whole  party 


172  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

Vfi\s  transferred  to  India  to  unite  with  the  Upper  Cana- 
dian Tehigu  Mission  recently  established  at  Cocanada. 
Six  months  after  his  arrival  at  Cocanada,  Mr.  Boggs 
broke  down  in  health  and  had  to  return  to  Nova  Scotia. 
In  1877,  he  had  so  far  recovered  as  to  be  anxious  to 
return  to  his  work,  but  the  Provincial  Board  hesitated  to 
send  him  bacW.  In  1878,  however,  he  received  an  ap- 
pointment from  the  Missionary  Union,  and  in  November 
sailed  for  Ongole,  where  he  arrived  January  27,  1879. 

For  two  years  Mr.  Boggs  was  associated  with  Mr. 
Clough,  and  the  following  two  years  he  had  charge  of  the 
theological  seminary  at  Ramapatam.  On  the  return  to 
India  of  Dr.  Williams,  in  1882,  Mr.  Boggs  removed  to 
Curabum  to  open  a  new  station  at  that  place. 

Cum  bum  is  one  of  the  regions  which  shared  to  a  large 
extent  in  the  great  ingathering  of  1878,  so  that  Mr. 
Boggs  did  not  enter  a  barren  or  unfruitful  field.  It  had 
yielded  large  numbers  of  converts,  and  they  were  still 
coming  by  the  hundreds.  But  while  he  did  not  have  to 
spend  long,  weary  years  of  seed-sowing  before  a  harvest 
could  be  reaped,  he  had  what  was  perhaps  quite  as  diffi- 
cult a  task,  namely,  the  training  of  the  masses  of  poor, 
ignorant,  and  degraded  Christians,  who  had  come  in  with 
the  multitude,  knowing  very  little  indeed  about  the  prin- 
ciples of  Christianity.  This  task  was  all  the  more  diffi- 
cult, because  Cumbum  was  too  remote  from  Ongole  to 
receive  much  attention  from  the  missionaries  there. 
Many  had  relapsed  into  their  former  life  after  the  first 
impulse  had  subsided.  Others  were  in  a  luke-warm,  in- 
different state,  while  the  majority,  perhaps,  were  com- 
paratively steadfast. 


KURXOOL;    CUMBUM,    AND    MADRAS.  173 

At  the  second  quarterly  meeting  after  Mr.  Boggs 
reached  Cunibum,  eighty-nine  were  baptized,  making 
two  hundred  and  twenty  since  his  arrival.  Large  num- 
bers all  over  the  field  were  reported  as  ready  for  baptism. 
The  truth  seems  to  be  that  here,  as  elsewhere,  the  great 
movement  in  1878  gave  an  impetus  toward  Christianity, 
especially  on  the  part  of  the  particular  class  that  was 
chiefly  aflected  by  it;  that  nothing  can  prevent  the  whole 
class  in  that  region  from  embracing  Christianity.  Many 
of  the  people  themselves  say  it  is  their  fate,  and  they 
may  as  well  come  first  as  last.  If  the  other  castes  were 
to  any  considerable  extent  aflfected,  this  explanation 
would  not  have  so  much  weight,  but  so  far  the  move- 
ment is  confined  almost  exclusively  to  the  Madagas. 

Mr.  Boggs  spent  a  large  portion  of  his  time  touring 
about  the  district,  teaching  and  confirming  the  converts, 
and  the  result  was  a  very  much  better  condition  of  the 
Christians  generally.  The  preachers  needed  a  good  deal 
of  looking  after,  but,  with  proper  supervision,  they  worked 
well.  Remnants  of  heathenism  clung  to  many  of  the 
Christians,  who  had  to  be  rebuked,  instructed,  and,  in  a 
good  many  cases,  excommunicated.  On  the  other  hand, 
many  villages  were  visited,  where  even  the  heathen  de- 
clared that  they  had  no  faith  in  the  idols  they  w^orshiped. 
Mr.  Boggs  would  then  say,  "  that  being  so,  you  do  not 
need  this  idol  house — why  not  let  us  destroy  it,  and  put 
a  schoolhouse  in  its  place?"  and,  in  several  instances, 
permission  was  given,  and  down  went  the  idol  house. 

Referring  to  the  caste  people,  Mr.  Boggs  said  that 
jB  very  where  they  listened  attentively  to  preaching,  and 
confessed  that  Christianity  was  true,  but  he  adds  :  "  The 


174  HISTORY   OF   THE  TELUGU   MISSION. 

great  want  in  the  Hindu  character  is  the  want  of 
independence  in  thought  and  action — the  want  of  indi- 
viduality. The  first  answer  with  multitudes  in  all  classes 
and  castes  is  :  'If  the  rest  do  so  and  so,  I  will ; '  ' If  such 
a  leading  man  believes,  I  will ;  if  he  does  not,  I  will  not ; ' 
*  If  my  people  should  become  Christians,  I  would.'  Of 
course  it  is  easy,  by  a  few  illustrations,  to  show  them  the 
absurdity  of  this ;  but  while  they  laugh  at  themselves  for 
being  so  foolish,  they  continue  in  the  same  way.  Very 
few  Hindus  seem  to  appreciate  the  power  of  that  little 
word  'ought,' — I  ought  to  do  this,  or  I  ought  not  to  do 
that.  The  times  seem  to  be  waiting  for  a  Hindu  Huss 
or  Luther.  When  will  he  arise  and  lead  forward  a 
mighty  movement  ?  All  the  hopes  that  centred  in  Ke- 
shub  Chunder  Sen  have  been  blighted :  he  has  finished 
his  earthly  course ;  and  he  was  not  the  reformer  that  India 
most  needs.  If  God  should  raise  up  an  Indian  Paul,  what 
multitudes  of  the  caste  people  might  bow  to  the  truth !  " 

This  quotation,  besides  giving  a  reason  why  the  caste 
people  do  not  embrace  Christianity,  confirms  what  has 
been  said  above,  respecting  the  mass  movement  among 
the  Madagas. 

The  construction  of  a  railway  passing  through  Cum- 
bum,  presented  an  opportunity  to  Mr.  Boggs  to  secure 
employment  to  a  large  number  of  native  Christians,  and 
at  the  same  time  of  securing  money  for  the  erection  of  a 
much  needed  chapel.  He,  therefore,  took  a  contract  to 
build  a  section  of  the  road  near  Cumbum.  The  chapel 
was  in  due  course  erected,  at  a  cost  of  about  six  thousand 
rupees,  every  rupee  of  which  came  from  the  railway  con- 
tract. 


KUPwXOOL,    CUMBUM,    AND    MADRAS.  175 

Mr.  Boggs  and  his  family  were  repeatedly  attacked  by 
the  Cumbum  fever,  which  few  Europeans  escape  who 
stay  for  any  length  of  time  in  that  region,  so  tliat  by  the 
close  of  1885  it  became  evident  that  they  must  relinquish 
their  work  for  a  time  and  return  to  America.  In  view 
of  this  change,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Newcomb,  who  had  come 
out  as  assistants  to  Mr.  Campbell  at  Secunderabad,  were 
appointed  to  occupy  Cumbum  until  Mr.  Boggs  should  re- 
turn. They  arrived  in  Cumbum  in  December,  1885,  and  Mr. 
Boggs  and  his  family  sailed  for  America  in  March,  1886. 

Mr.  Newcomb  entered  a  field  not  only  already  "  ripe  for 
the  harvest,"  but  one  where  large  harvests  had  already  been 
gathered.  To  put  a  new  man,  with  very  little  knowledge  of 
either  the  language  or  the  people,  upon  such  an  important 
field,  was  somewhat  of  a  risk,  but  Mr.  Newcomb  appears  to 
have  managed  wisely,  and  the  work  went  on  in  a  very 
satisfactory  manner.  His  able  corps  of  assistants,  consist- 
ing of  six  ordained  and  twelve  unordained  preachers,  con- 
tinued their  faithful  labors,  and  two  hundred  were  added 
by  baptism  in  1886.  One  of  the  serious  obstacles  Mr.  New- 
comb  complained  of  was  the  large  extent  of  territory  the 
field  covered,  and  the  impossibility  of  one  missionary 
giving  it  the  supervision  which  effective  work  demanded. 
Smaller  fields  or  more  missionaries  was  what  was  needed 
to  secure  the  best  results.  Three  thousand  Christians, 
and  two  hundred  thousand  heathen  to  look  after,  is  cer- 
tainly too  much  for  any  one  man.  And,  yet,  we  have 
fields  in  the  mission  with  double  the  number  of  heathen, 
and  scarcely  more  than  one-tenth  the  number  of  Chris- 
tians, which  ought  to  be  still  a  harder  field  for  one  man 
to  care  for. 


176  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU    MISSION. 

Mrs.  Newcomb  carried  on  vigorously  and  successfully 
the  station  school  estabUshed  by  Mrs.  Boggs.  In  1889, 
this  school  earned  a  government  grant-in-aid  of  six  hun- 
dred rupees,  and  twenty-five  of  the  boys  entered  the  high 
school.     This  was  very  good  work,  indeed. 

The  year  1890  was  by  f\ir  the  most  fruitful  and  successful 
year  of  the  mission's  history,  at  least  since  the  great  in- 
gathering of  1878.  The  number  of  baptisms  was  twelve 
hundred  and  six,  which  brought  the  membership  up  to 
five  thousand  and  seventy.  There  were  eight  hundred 
children  in  forty-five  schools.  Mr.  Newcomb  spoke  in 
high  terms  of  the  labors  of  his  preachers,  and  of  his  able 
assistant,  Mr.  Peacock.  An  appropriation  of  eight  thou- 
sand rupees  was  made  in  1890  for  the  erection  of  a  new 
mission  bungalow,  to  replace  the  temporary  one,  which 
has  served  the  purpose  since  the  station  was  opene'd. 

The  city  of  Madras  is  the  capital  of  the  presidency 
of  that  name,  and  is  the  third  city  of  India,  in  respect 
to  size  and  political  and  commercial  importance.  It  is 
distinguished  as  being  the  first  territory  in  India  owned 
by  the  British.  It  is  situated  on  the  Coromandel  coast, 
on  the  western  shore  of  the  Bay  of  Bengal,  in  latitude 
13°  5'  north.  In  1639,  the  English  purchased  a  strip  of 
land  six  miles  long,  and  one  mile  inland,  on  which  they 
erected  a  fort,  and  called  it  Fort  Saint  George,  a  name 
which,  in  official  documents,  the  city  bears  to  this  day. 
For  a  commercial  city,  its  location  is  most  unfortunate. 
It  is  flat,  and  only  a  very  few  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
sea,  and  hence  its  drainage  is  most  imperfect ;  and  yet, 
strange  to  sav,  it  is  not  regarded  as  a  specially  unhealth- 


KURNOOL,  CUMBUM,  AXD  MADRAS.     177 

ful  city,  as  compared  with  either  Calcutta  or  Bombay. 
There  is  uo  natural  harbor,  so  that  until  a  few  years 
ago  vessels  were  obliged  to  anchor  in  the  ojoen  road- 
stead, from  one  to  three  miles  from  the  shore,  exposed  to 
every  wind  but  the  west,  and  in  case  of  storms,  had  to 
put  out  to  sea.  Some  eight  or  ten  years  ago  the  con- 
struction of  an  artificial  harbor,  or  break-water,  was  com- 
menced. When  nearly  completed,  a  large  portion  of  it 
was  swept  away  by  a  cyclone.,  but  the  damage  has  been 
repaired,  and  the  harbor  is  now  approaching  completion. 
Yet,  in  spite  of  these  natural  hindrances,  Madras  has 
risen  in  population  and  wealth  to  the  third  place  among 
Indian  cities. 

Altliough  Madras  is  a  Tamil  city,  it  contains  between 
eighty  and  a  hundred  thousand  Telugus.  Hence  it  was 
that,  in  1837,  Mr.  Day  removed  to  Madras;  but  he  soon 
after  decided  that  a  mission  to  the  Telugus  should  be  in 
the  Telugu  country.  After  the  mission  had  become  es- 
tablislied,  however,  there  w^re  many  reasons  why  it  should 
have  a  station  in  Madras.  Among  these  may  be  men- 
tioned (1)  the  fact  that  it  is  the  chief  city  of  the  presi- 
dency, including,  of  course,  the  Telugu  country  ;  (2)  that 
it  is  the  base  of  supplies,  including  the  port  of  entry,  for 
the  larger  portion  of  the  Telugu  country ;  and  (3)  the 
fact  already  mentioned  that  there  are  nearly  a  hundred 
thousand  Telugus  within  its  limits  for  whom  there  was  no 
mission  laboring  exclusively.  There  were  Telugu  schools, 
but  no  Telugu  mission.  For  these  reasons,  a  station  in 
I^Fadras  has  been  earnestly  advocated  for  at  least  ten  or 
twelve  years  past. 

When  Dr.  Jewett  returned  to  India,  in  1878,  it  was  the 
ar 


178  HISTORY    OP   THE   TELUGIJ    MISSION. 

■wish  of  the  Executive  Committee  that  he  should  locate 
in  Madras ;  but  Dr.  Jewett  had  a  decided  preference  to 
return  to  his  old  field  in  Nellore.  He  accordingly  went 
to  Nellore,  and  remained  there  several  months.  In  Sep- 
tember, however,  he  was  induced  to  reconsider  his  de- 
cision, and  removed  to  ^ladras  to  open  thj  new  station. 
On  the  first  Sabbath  of  October  he  held  bis  first  service 
in  a  small  chapel  in  the  compound  of  a  house  he  had 
rented  in  Royapuram.  The  number  present  at  this  first 
service  was  thirty.  Their  plan  was  to  conduct  Sunday- 
school  and  service  in  the  chapel  in  the  morning,  and  to 
preach  in  the  bazaars  and  surrounding  pettas  in  the  even- 
ing. Preaching  was  also  continued  in  the  afternoon  of 
week  days,  and  a  prayer  meeting  held  in  the  chapel  every 
Friday  evening.  A  day  school  was  commenced  in  the 
mission  compound,  with  ten  pupils.  Also  one  in  Konde- 
tope,  from  which  the  first  convert  came.  Zenana  work 
was  attended  with  some  difiiculty,  because  it  was  a  new  de- 
parture in  that  part  of  the  city.  Still,  during  the  first 
year,  six  houses  were  regularly  visited,  and  fourteen  pupils 
taught.  Both  the  scliujl  and  zenana  work  was  under  the 
superintendence  of  Mrs.  Jewett. 

The  Rev.  S.  W.  Nichols  and  wife  joined  the  mission 
December  5,  1878.  Mrs.  Nichols  (daughter  of  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Jewett),  being  a  native  of  Nellore,  had  not  quite 
forgotten  all  her  Telugu,  or,  at  all  events,  it  came  to  her 
very  rapidly  ;  and  hence  she  became  a  most  valuable  ad- 
dition at  a  very  early  period  of  her  missionary  career. 

The  First  Telugu  Baptist  Church  was  organized  De- 
cember 8,  1878,  with  fourteen  members,  who  had  brought 
letters  from  Nellore  and  Ono-ole.     A  number  of  additions 


KUENOOL,   CUMBUM,    AND    MADRAS.  179 

was  made  by  baptism  and  letter,  so  that  at  the  end  of  1880 
the  membership  was  twenty-seven,  and  the  pupils  in  school 
numbered  one  hundred  and  three.  Miss  M.  Menke  joined 
the  mission  December  13,  1880,  and  continued  to  labor 
chiefly  in  school  work  till  1884,  when  she  became  the  wafe 
of  Rev.  A.  A.  Newhall,  and  removed  to  Hanamakonda. 

In  June,  1881,  the  Rev.  N.  .M.  Waterbury  was  ap- 
pointed a  missionary  to  the  Telugus  and  designated  to 
Madras,  where  he  arrived  November  7, 1881.  Some  tinij 
previous  to  this  the  station  had  been  removed  from  Roya- 
puram  to  Vepery.  But  when  in  August,  1882,  Mr.  Wa- 
terbury took  over  the  work  from  Dr.  Jewett,  the  latter 
returned  to  Royapuram.  All  these  years,  and  until  1885, 
the  Madras  work  suffered  for  want  of  a  fixed  dwelling 
place, — the  missionaries  having  to  live  in  hired  houses, 
and  hence  subject  to  frequent  changes.  By  the  efforts  of 
Dr.  Clough,  while  at  home,  the  money  for  two  houses  was 
secured.  The  Madras  work  was  thus  divided  into  two 
sections,  according  to  the  location  of  the  houses. 

From  August,  1882,  Mr.  Waterbury  continued  the 
work  at  Vepery,  and  also  acted  as  mission  treasurer  during 
Mr.  Downie's  absence  in  America.  A  second  church  was 
organized  October  6, 1884,  with  a  membership  of  eighteen, 
who  were  dismissed  by  letter  from  the  Royapuram  Church. 
In  1885,  Mr.  Waterbury  purchased  a  house  and  com- 
pound in  Perambore,  in  the  northwest  corner  of  Madras. 
It  was  thought  by  some  that  this  selection  was  not  a  wise 
one,  being  too  far  removed  from  the  centre  of  the  popula- 
tion, and  the  compound  itself,  though  large  and  open,  was 
too  low  and  wet  and  difficult  to  drain,  and  hence  likely  to 
be  unhealthful.     But  on  the  other  hand,  good  compounds 


180  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

in  tlie  most  desirable  locations  were  difficult  to  obtain  and 
very  expensive;  and  in  the  opinion  of  the  missionary, 
Perambore  was  a  growing  section,  and  sufficiently  near 
the  Telugus  to  be  readily  accessible.  Dr.  Clough  made 
a  visit  to  the  place,  and  approved  of  the  selection  ;  but 
it  was  at  a  time  when  one  of  the  chief  objections  to  it 
could  not  be  detected, — namely,  the  marshy  nature  of  the 
land. 

As  soon  as  Mr.  Waterbury  got  possession  of  the  prop- 
erty, which  was  attended  with  a  great  deal  of  labor, 
worry,  and  vexatious  delay,  he  set  apart  a  portion  of  the 
house  for  a  chapel  and  schoolhouse,  so  that  the  work  was 
not  interrupted.  He  continued  the  out-stations  that  had 
been  established,  and  added  to  them.  Preaching  in  the 
surrounding  pettas  was  continued  daily,  and  the  work 
pushed  in  every  possible  direction  He  had  few  assist- 
ants, and,  with  one  exception,  not  very  efficient,  but  he 
made  the  most  of  what  he  had,  and  the  work  progressed. 
But  he  felt  handicapped  for  want  of  a  suitable  chapel  for 
the  regular  services,  and  hence  began  at  once  to  lay  his 
plans  for  securing  a  chapel.  The  regular  offerings  of  the 
church  were  chiefly  devoted  to  this  object.  As  the  amount 
needed  for  the  purchase  and  repair  of  the  mission  property 
was  less  than  the  appropriation  for  it,  he  asked  and  obtained 
permission  to  use  the  balance  for  the  chapel.  The  building 
was  accordingly  begun.  We  mean  something  more  than 
a  figure  of  speech,  when  we  say  that  into  this  work  Mr. 
Waterbury  literally  put  his  life.  His  means  were  lim- 
ited, and  he  planned  accordingly ;  but  to  secure  the  best 
possible  results  for  the  money  at  his  disposal,  he  labored 
hard,  and   attended   personally  to  almost   every  detail. 


KURNOOL,  CUMBUM,  AND  MADRAS.     181 

His  zeal  carried  him  beyond  his  p'  ysical  strength,  and 
it  was  while  attending  to  this  work,  exposing  himself  to 
the  wet  ground  under  foot  and  the  sun  over  head,  that 
he  contracted  the  sickness  which  ended  his  life.  He 
lived  long  enough  to  see  the  chapel  so  far  completed  as 
to  hold  in  it  the  last  communion  service  he  ever  attended. 
He  had  planned  for  the  dedication  of  the  chapel  at  the 
annual  mission  conference,  in  January,  but  his  own 
funeral  service,  in  November,  was  its  dedication.  The 
chapel  is  a  unique  little  building,  in  every  way  suitable  for 
the  purpose.  It  is  everything  that  could  be  desired,  with- 
out a  single  rupee's  worth  of  superfluous  ornamentation 
or  expense. 

The  Rev.  E.  E.  Silliman  joined  the  mission  in  1884. 
He  lived  at  Vepery  till  1885,  when  he  removed  to  the 
new  house  at  Royapuram.  This  house  was  purcha^«ed 
for  Dr.  Jewett,  and  was  selected  by  him  as  the  most 
desirable  of  the  houses  available  in  that  section  of  the 
city.  It  is  in  the  midst  of  a  native  population  of  the 
better  class,  and  hence  is  well  situated  for  work  in  that 
particular  section  ;  but,  like  the  Perambore  house,  it  is  too 
far  removed  from  the  centre  for  ready  access  to  other 
portions  of  the  city  where  Telugus  live. 

In  1886,  Mr.  Silliman's  health  became  impaired,  and 
he  was  strongly  advised  to  leave  the  Madras  coast,  and 
find  a  drier  climate.  He  was  accordingly  transferred  to 
Sevjunderabad,  to  co-operate  with  Mr.  Campbell,  but  soon 
after  took  charge  of  the  Kurnool  field. 

During  her  residence  at  Royapuram,  Mrs.  Jewett  be- 
came interested  in  zenana  and  caste  girls'  school  work. 
A  caste  girls'  school  was  established,  and  a  number  of 


182  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU    MIS.SION. 

zenanas  was  visited,  and  the  women  taught.  In  1884, 
Miss  M.  M.  Day  removed  to  Madras,  to  engage  with  Mrs. 
Jewett  in  this  work.  At  first,  Miss  Day  took  the  caste 
school,  but  when  Mrs.  Jewett's  health  failed.  Miss  Day 
succeeded  to  the  entire  women's  work  in  Royapuram.  In 
this  department  she  has  had  much  encouragement  and 
success. 

Toward  the  close  of  1885,  Mrs.  Jewett's  health  was  so 
shaken,  that  her  departure  from  India  was  deemed  the 
only  hope  of  saving  her  life.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Jewett 
had  been  looking  forward  with  fond  expectation  to  a 
speedy  return  to  the  scenes  of  their  former  labors  in  the 
vicinity  of  Nellore.  Since  Mr.  Ballard's  departure  from 
Alloor,  no  one  had  been  permanently  settled  there  and, 
on  account  of  the  pressure  of  other  w^ork,  it  could  be 
but  indifferently  cared  for  by  the  missionary  at  Nellore. 
Appeals  for  a  man  for  Alloor  had  so  far  been  in  vain; 
and  as  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Jewett  knew  the  field,  and  as 
Royapuram  had  been  provided  for  by  the  arrival  of  Mr. 
Silliman,  they  applied  for  and  obtained  permission  to 
remove  to  Alloor.  But,  in  the  meantime,  and  to  the 
regret  and  disappointment  of  all  concerned,  Mrs.  Jew- 
ett's health  gave  way,  and  they  were  obliged  to  return 
home.  They  left  Madras  in  December  and,  after  a  brief 
sojourn  in  Malta,  reached  home  in  safety. 

The  saddest  event,  and  severest  blow  to  our  work  in 
Madras,  was  the  death  of  Mr.  "W'aterbury,  which  oc- 
curred on  the  11th  of  November,  1886.  Overwork, 
and  especially  the  supervision  of  the  erection  of  the 
new  chapel,  brought  on  an  attack  of  enteritis,  which 
after  a  week's  illness  ended  his  life.     He  was  but  thirty 


KURNOOL,  COMBUM,  AND  MADRAS.     183 

yeai-s  of  age,  and  had  just  completed  his  fifth  year  of 
missionary  service,  when  he  was  called  to  his  rest  and 
reward.  The  mission  conference  met  that  year  at  Per- 
ambore,  when  the  new  chapel  was  dedicated.  The  ab- 
sence of  Mr.  Waterbiiry  at  this  service  made  it  exceed- 
ingly sad  and  impressive.  The  Scriptures  read  on  the 
occasion  were  selections  which  Mr.  Waterbiuy  had  chosen 
for  this  service.  The  dedication  sermon  was  preached  by 
the  Rev.  A.  A.  Newhall. 

Mrs.  Waterbury  would  gladly  have  labored  on  in 
Madras,  but  her  health  was  not  at  all  good.  She,  there- 
fore, left  the  following  spring,  with  her  two  little  chil- 
dren, and  with  great  difficulty  reached  home  in  a  very 
feeble  condition. 

The  Rev.  W.  R.  Manley  and  wife,  of  Ongole,  were  on 
the  eve  of  returning  home  when  this  sad  vacancy  oc- 
curred in  Madras.  They  were,  however,  induced  to  defer 
their  departure  for  a  year,  until  some  one  could  be  sent 
out  to  occupy  the  place.  They  accordingly  removed  to 
Perambore  in  March,  1888. 

The  Rev.  D.  H.  Drake,  after  an  absence  of  nearly 
seven  years,  rejoined  the  mission  in  December.  He  was 
requested,  for  the  time  being,  to  remain  in  INIadras,  and 
accordingly  Mr.  Manley  handed  over  the  work  to  him, 
and,  on  the  9th  of  February,  Mr.  Manley  and  his  family 
sailed  for  the  United  States  on  furlough. 

On  the  passage  out,  Mr.  Drake  became  deeply  inter- 
ested in  a  young  lady,  Miss  Alexander,  who  was  on  her 
way  to  engage  in  missionary  work  in  connection  with 
the  Canadian  mission  at  Cocanada.  The  result  of  this 
was  that  Miss  Alexander  became   Mrs.  Drake   on   the 


184  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

17th  of  January,  1889.  The  Canadian  brethren  were 
greatly  disappointed  at  the  loss  of  so  valuable  a  helper, 
but  what  was  loss  to  them  was  gain  to  us,  and  thus  the 
equation  was  maintained. 

The  Rev.  Charles  Hadley  was  appointed  iis  the  suc- 
cessor of  Mr.  Waterbury,  and  arrived  in  Madras  on  the 
27th  of  November,  1890.  In  July,  of  that  year,  Mr. 
Drake  became  pastor  of  the  Madras  English  Baptist 
Church,  but  continued  in  nominal  charge  of  the  Peram- 
bore  work  till  October,  1891,  when  Mr.  Hadley  assumed 
full  charge. 

The  Madras  Baptist  Church  formerly  had  some  sort 
of  connection  with  the  English  Baptist  Missionary  So- 
ciety. But  for  many  years  it  has  been,  to  a  large  ex- 
tent, independent.  Since  1882,  it  had  been  without  a 
pastor,  but  the  services  had  been  kept  up  by  means  of 
pulpit  supplies  by  missionaries  and  others.  All  efforts 
to  secure  a  suitable  pastor  had  failed,  and  at  length  the 
church  was  advised  to  seek  admission  to  our  mission.  With 
this  in  view,  Mr.  Drake  assumed  charge  of  the  church, 
and  continued  to  labor  in  connection  with  it  till  Janu- 
ary, 1892,  when  he  returned  to  America.  A  few  months 
previous  to  his  departure,  Mr.  Drake  was  sorely  bereaved 
by  the  death  of  his  excellent  and  beloved  wife.  She 
was  a  devoted  missionary,  and  her  death  was  a  great 
loss  to  the  mission.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Beebee  was  sent  to 
Madras,  to  take  up  the  work  laid  down  by  Mr.  Drake, 
until  some  permanent  arrangement  can  be  made.  Besides 
ministering  to  a  worthy  class  of  English  speaking  people  in 
Madras,  it  is  expected  that  this  enterprise  will  prove  a  very 
valuable  auxiliary  in  the  general  work  of  the  mission. 


KURNOOL,    CUIMBUM,    AND    MADRAS.  185 

The  section  of  Madras  where  our  other  mission  house 
is  situated,  has  hitherto,  in  this  sketch,  been  called  Roya- 
puram.  Strictly  speaking,  that  is  not  correct.  Roya- 
puram  is  where  Dr.  Jewett  began  the  work,  but  the 
mission  house  is  in  Tondiarpetta,  a  little  farther  north 
than  Royapuram.  Here  ^liss  Day,  ]\Iiss  Schuff,  and 
^Irs.  Pearce  have  carried  on  the  work  since  Mr.  Silli- 
man's  removal  to  Kurnool.  Their  work  is  chiefly  among 
the  women  and  girls  of  that  section  of  Madras.  There  is 
a  boarding  and  day  school  in  the  compoimd,  and  there  are 
schools  in  other  parts  of  the  city.  A  prominent  feature 
of  the  work  is  zenana  teaching  and  Bible  woman's 
work.  The  premises  are  admirably  situated  in  the  midst 
of  a  dense  native  population  of  the  better  class.  One 
or  two  preachers  are  also  employed,  so  that,  one  way  and 
another,  these  ladies  are  doing  a  very  excellent  work. 

So  far  as  evangelistic  work  is  concerned,  this  much 
may  be  said  at  least,  that  after  our  advent  a  great  deal 
more  zeal  for  the  Telugus  of  Madras  was  exhibited  by 
other  missions  than  had  ever  been  knowu  before.  So 
that  it  would  hardly  be  fair  to  measure  our  work  by  the 
few  converts  who  have  been  made.  If  the  accession  of 
converts  were  the  only  or  the  chief  aim  of  establishing 
a  mission  station,  there  are  scores  of  places  in  the  Telugu 
country  where  this  could  be  much  more  easily  secured. 
Growth  in  numbers  will  probably  always  be  exceed- 
ingly slow  in  Madras. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

ENLARGING   THE    BOUNDARIES. 

New  stations.  Missions  of  other  denominations.  Denominational  protests 
against  territorial  occupation.  Baptist  growth  in  the  Kistna  District. 
Tlie  mission  at  Bapatla.  Advantages  of  location.  Mr.  Ballard's  work. 
Formation  of  a  church  at  Alloor.  Mr.  Ballard's  settlemeut  at  Bapatla. 
Procurement  of  property.  Importance  of  touring.  Increase  of  school 
facilities.  Bai)tisins  from  the  Lutheran  mission.  Causes  leading  to  this. 
Retirement  of  Mr.  Bullnnl  from  the  field,  and  arrival  of  Mr.  Owen. 
Station  at  Nursarao;)ott a.  Protest  of  tlie  Lutherans.  The  number  of  con- 
verts demanding  a  station.  A  welcome  more  appropriate  than  a  protest. 
Accession  of  Mr.  Muplesden  to  our  mission.  Erection  of  buildings  and 
organizathm  of  a  church.  Accessions  and  education.  Perpetuation  of  the 
impulse  of  1878.  Subsequent  ingatiierings  largely  due  to  that.  Breaking 
down  of  missionarit'S.  Expanding  work.  Vinukonda.  Meaning  of  term. 
Hindu  tradition.  Railway  communications.  Arrival  of  Mr.  Thomssen. 
Erection  of  buildings.  Tribute  to  Mr.  Clou  h.  Need  of  Christian  train- 
ing. Native  self-support.  The  true  ideal.  Distant  yet  as  to  realization. 
Numerous  converts.  Ripeness  of  the  field.  Missionaries  not  unopposed. 
A  "  heathen  revival."  Extract  from  Mr.  Thomssen.  Appeasing  Ankamma. 
Heathen  multitudes  and  Christian  sowing.  "  God's  army."  Failure  of 
health,  and  retirement  of  Mr.  Thomssen.  The  work  under  Mr.  dough's 
supervision.  Progress  therein.  Mission  at  Udayagiri.  View  from  the 
hill  near  by.  Significance  of  name,  "  Udaya."  An  answered  prayer.  Mr. 
Burditt  assuming  his  work.  Difticulty  in  erecting  buildings.  Isolation 
of  the  field.  Hardness  of  it.  Difference  between  a  region  partly  Chris- 
tian, and  pure  heathenism.  Extract  from  Mr.  Burditt.  Material  benefit 
influencing  the  people.  Some  fruits.  Accessions  from  the  Ongole  field. 
Village  schools.  Brightening  prospects.  A  sad  bereavement.  Appeals 
for  a  chapel.  Securing  one.  Excellence  of  Mr.  Burditt's  work.  Needed 
rest. 

UNDER  this  head  will  be  given  a  brief  account  of 
the  new  stations,  Bapatla,  Nursaraopetta,  Vinu- 
konda, and  Udayagiri.  The  first  three  are  in  the  Kistna 
District,  which  adjoins  that  of  Nellore,  on  the  north.     Its 

186 


ENLARGING    THE    BOUNDARIES.  187 

capital,  or  chief  town,  is  Masulipatam,  on  the  sea,  and 
next  to  it  in  size  is  Guntiir,  near  the  centre  of  the  dis- 
trict. 

The  first  mission  established  in  this  part  of  the  Telugu 
country,  was  that  of  the  Church  mission,  in  1841,  at 
Masulipatam.  In  1842,  the  American  Evangelical  Lu- 
therans established  a  mission  at  Guntur.  We  do  not  know 
whether  it  was  the  custom  in  those  early  days  for  a  mis- 
sion to  claim  the  whole  district  in  which  it  was  located, 
nor  whether  the  Church  mission  sent  out  "  An  Appeal 
and  Protest "  to  all  England  and  xA.merica  against  the 
encroachments  of  the  Lutherans.  If  it  did,  we  have 
never  heard  of  it,  just  as  our  children  will  probably 
never  hear  of  the  one  of  recent  date,  which  our  Lu- 
theran brethren  issued  Avhen  the  American  Baptists  dared 
to  follow  the  multitudes  of  baptized  believers  who  de- 
manded care  in  the  portions  of  the  Kistna  District 
adjoining  our  own  mission.  But,  however  that  may  be, 
it  is  a  fact  that  we  have  in  the  Kistna  District  more  than 
double  the  number  of  communicants  contained  by  the 
Lutheran  and  Church  missions  combined. 

Bapatla  is  situated  about  twenty-five  miles  west  of  the 
mouth  of  the  Kistna  River,  and  forty  miles  northeast 
of  Ongole.  But  the  river  delta  forms  a  sort  of  promon- 
tory jutting  out  into  the  sea,  and  thus  a  bay  is  formed 
between  this  point  and  tlie  coast  farther  south ;  so  that 
Bapatla  is  within  five  miles  of  the  sea,  but  with  the 
peculiarity  that  from  Bapatla  it  is  to  the  south,  instead 
of  the  east.  This  gives  Bapatla  an  advantage  of  climate 
shared  by  no  other  station  in  the  mission.     The  south 


188  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

wind,  so  trying  in  all  other  stations,  becomes  at  Bapatla 
a  pure  ocean  breeze.  The  population  is  about  six  thou- 
sand. In  the  Hindu  temple  there  are  a  number  of  in- 
scriptions datin^^  back  to  a.  d.  1154. 

The  Rev.  E.  Bullard,  as  already  stated,  arrived  in 
Nellore  in  1870,  where  he  spent  the  first  three  years  of 
his  service.  In  1873,  he  removed  to  Alloor,  eighteen 
miles  north  of  Nellore,  and  began  a  new  station.  This 
was  one  of  the  places  selected  by  Messrs.  Jewett  and 
Clough  for  a  station  as  early  as  1866.  A  fine  compound 
of  eight  acres,  with  a  good  garden  and  a  house,  which, 
with  some  repairs,  might  answer  for  a  time,  had  been 
purchased.  But  Mr.  Bullard  thought  it  would  be  better 
to  tear  down  the  house  and  use  the  materials,  as  far  as 
he  could,  and  erect  a  chapel,  which  he  could  use  as  both 
chapel  and  bungalow,  till  a  permanent  dwelling  house 
could  be  provided. 

A  church  of  sixty-six  members  was  organized  the  first 
year,  a  majority  of  whom  were  dismissed  by  letters  from 
the  Nellore  Church.  At  the  close  of  1876,  the  church 
had  increased  to  ninety-seven,  with  an  out-station  at 
Atmakur,  fifty  miles  west.  This  was  very  fair  progress, 
but  Mr.  Bullard  was  not  altogether  satisfied,  and  he  pro- 
posed to  the  missionary  at  Nellore  to  abandon  Alloor,  as 
a  station,  and  make  it  an  out-station  of  Nellore,  while 
he  should  take  over  all  the  field  work  of  both  fields,  out- 
side a  radius  of  twenty  miles  from  Nellore.  This  plan 
was  adopted,  and  Mr.  Bullard  entered  the  new  work 
with  a  good  deal  of  enthusiasm.  But  it  was  short-lived, 
for,  in  1877,  he  returned  to  America  on  account  of  ill 
health. 


ENLARGING   THE   BOUNDARIES.  189 

Arriving  at  home,  Mr.  Bullard  resigned  his  connection 
with  the  Missionary  Union,  and  settled  as  pastor.  In 
1882,  he  was  reappointed,  and  returned  to  India,  and, 
for  a  time,  was  associated  with  Dr.  Clough,  in  Ongole. 
When  the  Ongole  field  was  subdivided,  Bapatla  was  se- 
lected as  one  of  the  new  stations,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Bullard  chose  it  as  their  field  of  labor.  Like  the  other 
portions  of  the  Ongole  field,  Bapatla  had  shared  to 
some  extent  in  the  great  ingathering  of  1878,  and  also 
in  the  impetus  given  to  the  work  by  that  movement. 
Hence,  during  the  first  year,  two  hundred  and  fifty-three 
"were  baptized. 

As  there  was  no  suitable  house  at  Bapatla,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Bullard  lived  most  of  the  time  at  Guntur  until  the 
24th  of  December,  1884,  when  they  removed  to  Bapatla. 
After  securing  a  site  of  some  twelve  acres  of  land,  Mr. 
Bullard  first  erected  a  temporary  building,  which  had  to 
answer  the  double  purpose  of  dwelling  house  and  chapel 
for  a  time.  But,  eventually,  a  handsome  bungalow  was 
erected,  at  a  cost  of  about  twelve  thousand  rupees.  A 
permanent  chapel  and  other  mission  buildings  were  also 
constructed. 

During  1886  and  1887,  the  number  of  additions  was 
very  much  less  than  in  previous  years,  but  Mr.  Bullard 
attributed  this  solely  to  the  fact  that  his  building  oper- 
ations had  prevented  him  from  touring  in  the  villages. 
Two  boarding  schools,  one  for  boys  and  one  for  girls, 
were  established  and  carried  on  by  Mrs.  Bullard.  Also 
two  caste  girls'  schools,  and  thirty  village  schools  w^ere 
sustained.  The  pupils  in  these  schools  aggregated  more 
than  five  hundred.     To  meet  an  increasinoj  demand  for 


190  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

village  school-teachers,  a  normal  school  was  organized 
in  1888.  It  began  with  fifteen  pupils.  Two  hundred 
converts  were  baptized  that  year. 

In  1889,  Mr.  Bullard  baptized  a  considerable  number 
of  Christians,  who  had  formerly  belonged  to  the  Lu- 
theran mission  at  Guntur.  From  Mr.  Bullard's  report, 
we  gather  the  following  particulars  of  that  movement : 
Some  years  ago  a  division  took  place  in  the  Lutheran 
mission  by  the  withdrawal  of  one  of  their  missionaries, 
taking  with  him  fourteen  hundred  members  and  fifty 
workers.  For  a  time,  this  was  practically  a  separate 
mission.  But  it  was  but  short-lived,  for  the  missionary 
soon  felt  compelled  to  leave  the  country  and  return  to 
America.  Even  before  he  left,  however,  many  of  his 
people  had  asked  to  be  baptized  and  received  into  our 
mission.  The  helpers  and  a  majority  of  the  people  re- 
fused to  return  to  the  Lutheran  mission.  They  professed 
to  have  changed  their  views  on  the  subject  of  baptism, 
and,  after  satisfying  himself  of  the  sincerity  of  their 
profession,  Mr.  Bullard  baptized  twenty  of  the  helpers 
and  two  hundred  of  the  members,  and  many  others  were 
expected  to  follow.  Of  course,  this  caused  a  good  deal 
of  hard  feeling  among  the  Lutherans,  But  Mr.  Bullard 
protested  that  it  was  from  no  unkind  motives,  nor  any  de- 
sire to  proselytize  or  build  up  his  own  mission  at  the  ex- 
pense of  another,  that  he  consented  to  receive  these  people 
into  our  mission,  but  solely  because  he  believed  them 
sincere  in  professing  a  change  of  belief;  and,  under  these 
circumstances,  he  could  not  do  otherwise  than  receive 
them  and  be  true  to  himself,  or  the  cause  he  served. 

In  1890,  the  number  baptized  was  four  hundred  and 


ENLARGING    THE   BOUNDARIES.  191 

ninety-tliree,  more  than  double  that  of  any  previous  year, 
and  still  there  were  hundreds  more  said  to  be  awaiting 
the  ordinance. 

The  incessant  labor  and  mental  strain  of  the  six  years 
since  the  opening  of  the  station,  together  with  exposure 
to  the  sun,  greatly  debilitated  Mr.  Ballard's  health,  and, 
in  the  hope  of  prolonging  their  stay  in  the  country  a 
year  or  two  longer,  he  and  his  family  went  to  the  Neil- 
giri  Hills  in  March,  where  they  remained  till  November, 
1891.  But  he  derived  no  permanent  benefit  from  his 
stay  on  the  hills,  and  hence,  early  in  1892,  he  and  his 
family  returned  to  America.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Owen,  who 
had  recently  arrived  in  Nellore,  were  sent  to  Bapatla  to 
look  after  the  work  there. 

Nursaraopetta,  the  second  of  the  Kistna  stations,  is 
about  twenty  miles  west  of  Guntur,  and  forty  miles  north 
of  Ongole.  It  was  against  the  occupation  of  this  sta- 
tion that  the  Lutherans  most  loudly  protested  ;  but,  most 
unreasonably,  as  it  seems  to  us.  In  the  district  around 
Nursaraopetta,  we  had  some  two  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  seven  communicants,  more  than  the  Lutherans  had 
in  the  whole  district.  To  care  for  these  converts  as  we 
ought,  demanded  that  a  missionary  should  be  settled 
among  them.  In  addition  to  this,  there  was  the  vast 
population  to  the  west  and  north  of  Nursaraopetta  which 
the  Lutherans  did  not  and  could  not  care  for.  It 
was  to  supply  this  want  that  our  mission  entered  the 
Kistna  District,  so  that  instead  of  a  "protest,"  one  would 
have  supposed  rather  that  a  hearty  welcome  would  be 
extended. 


192  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

The  Rev.  R.  Maplesden,  who  had  been  for  some  years 
pastor  of  the  Madras  English  Baptist  Church,  joined  our 
mission  in  January,  1882.  Strangely  enough,  this  resig- 
nation of  the  pastorate  became  the  indirect  cause  of  the 
church's  becoming  affiliated  with  our  mission,  for  it  was 
unable  to  secure  a  successor  to  Mr.  Maplesden  till  Mr. 
Drake  took  charge  of  it,  eight  years  later. 

Mr.  Maplesden  remained  at  Ongole  for  some  time,  but 
went  to  Nursaraopetta,  in  1883,  to  open  the  new  station. 
He  secured  a  piece  of  land  for  a  compound,  and  erected 
a  Inngalow  and  small  schoolhouse.  A  church  was  or- 
ganized on  the  7th  of  October,  1883,  and  on  the  same 
day  one  hundred  and  twenty-three  were  baptized  into 
the  new  church. 

This  was  a  very  encouraging  beginning  of  the  new 
enterprise,  and  Mr.  Maplesden  entered  upon  the  work 
with  a  good  deal  of  enthusiasm.  He  saw  in  his  field 
what  others  had  seen  in  theirs,  the  great  need  of  training 
the  masses  of  poor,  ignorant  Christians,  and  of  providing 
primary  education  for  their  children.  As  to  further  in- 
gatherings, he  had  no  anxiety.  He  said :  "  The  work 
has  gained  such  an  impetus  that  it  will  go  on  independ- 
ently of  the  missionary."  Perhaps  some  of  the  mission- 
aries might  not  be  willing  to  admit  so  much  as  that,  but 
there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  impetus  given  to  the  work 
in  1878  had  much  to  do  with  the  subsequent  ingather- 
ings. In  no  other  way  can  we  account  for  the  fact  that 
these  subsequent  ingatherings  have  been  almost  exclu- 
sively confined  to  the  same  class  of  people,  and  to  the 
same  regions  as  that  of  1878.  In  other  fields,  and 
among  other   classes,  where   equally  good  and  faithful 


ENLARGING   THE    BOUNDARIES.  193 

work  has  been  done,  there  have  been  no  such  ingather- 
ings. 

Although  Mr.  Maplesden  had  been  working  in  the  Nur- 
saraopetta  field  for  a  year  or  more,  he  did  not  remove 
his  family  until  March,  1884.  His  stay  at  Nursaraopetta 
was  brief,  for,  in  i\.pril,  1885,  on  account  of  his  health, 
he  went  to  Bangalore,  and  never  returned.  After  spend- 
ing nearly  a  year  at  Bangalore,  with  little  or  no  im- 
provement, he  sailed  for  England  in  January,  1886. 
Mr.  Thomssen,  of  V^inukonda,  looked  after  the  Nursarao- 
petta  work  for  about  a  year,  when  his  health  also  failed, 
and  he  and  his  family  returned  to  the  United  States. 

The  Kev.  W.  Powell,  who  was  designated  to  Nursa- 
raopetta,  arrived  in  Madras,  November  18, 1886.  He  re- 
mained for  some  months  at  Ongole,  and  then  removed 
to  Nursaraopetta,  but  he  did  not  take  full  charge  of  the 
work  from  Dr.  Clough  till  October,  1887.  During  the 
year,  six  hundred  and  sixteen  were  baptized.  A  board- 
ing school  for  boys  was  established,  w^hich  had  fifty 
pupils.  A  caste  school  was  also  established  in  the  town, 
but  this  w^as  subsequently  given  up.  On  the  field,  there 
were  some  thirty  village  scliools. 

The  year  1890  appears  to  have  been  a  most  successful 
year  at  Nursaraopetta.  Nine  hundred  and  three  had 
professed  faith  in  Christ  and  were  baptized.  Twelve 
separate  churches  were  organized.  A  new  chapel  was 
commenced  to  accommodate  seven  hundred  people,  and 
to  cost  about  ten  thousand  rupees.  Toward  this,  the  Mis- 
sionary Union  appropriated  five  thousand  rupees. 

Vinukonda  means  "  hill  of  hearing,"  so  named  on  ac- 


194  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU    MISSION. 

count  of  the  tradition  which  makes  this  the  spot  where 
Rama  heard  the  news  of  the  abduction  of  his  wife  See- 
tamma.  The  place  abounds  with  Hindu  remains  of  very 
iincient  date.  A  railway  has  recently  been  constructed, 
^vhich  runs  through  both  Nursaraopetta  and  Vinukonda, 
and  puts  these  two  stations  in  railway  communication  with 
^ladras  and  Bombay.  The  population  of  Vinukonda  is 
about  six  thousand,  and,  like  Nursaraopetta,  it  has  been 
one  of  the  fruitful  sections  of  the  former  Ongole  field. 

The  Rev.  George  N.  Thomssen  arrived  in  Madras 
^March  4,  1882.  His  first  year  was  spent  partly  in  On- 
gole, and  partly  in  Ramapatam.  During  this  time,  he 
made  two  extensive  tours  with  Dr.  Clough.  On  the  3d 
of  August  he  went  to  Vinukonda.  A  good  site  for  a 
compound  was  secured,  and  a  comfortable  and  substan- 
tial bungalow  erected.  He  also  put  up  a  neat  little 
building,  which  answered  the  double  purpose  of  chapel 
and  schoolhouse. 

Like  the  other  missionaries  of  these  new  fields,  Mr. 
Thomssen  spoke  of  the  grand  evangelistic  work  of  Dr. 
Clough,  but  saw  the  same  pressing  need  of  training  the 
Christians,  many  of  whom  seemed  ignorant  of  even  the 
first  principles  of  Christianity.  Building  kept  the  mis- 
sionary in  the  station  much  of  the  first  year,  yet  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy-six  were  baptized. 

At  the  July,  '84,  quarterly  meeting,  the  missionary  and 
the  preachers,  after  interesting  discussions,  arrived  at  the 
conclusion  (1)  that  the  time  had  come,  or  was  near  at 
hand,  when  the  childhood  of  Telugu  Christians  must 
pass  away ;  and  (2)  that  they  must  understand  that  the 
work  of  the  Missionary  Union  was  to  provide  for  the 


ENLARGING   THE   BOUNDARIES.  195 

evangelization  of  the  heathen,  while  the  Christians  must 
support  their  own  pastors,  build  their  own  schoolhouses, 
and  take  care  of  their  own  widows  and  orphans.  The 
only  mistake  about  this  is  the  "  time  " ;  for  after  seven 
years,  Vinukonda,  and  indeed  the  mission  generally, 
seems  about  as  far  from  that  ideal  as  it  was  then. 

In  1885,  Mr.  Thorn ssen  made  several  extensive  tours 
over  his  field.  Everywhere  he  found  the  people  ready 
both  to  hear  and  believe  the  truth.  Four  hundred  and 
ten  converts  were  baptized,  and  this  was  only  a  part  of 
the  hundreds  who  were  asking  to  be  baptized.  The  great 
body  of  these  inquirers  came,  as  in  other  sections,  from 
among  the  Madigas.  But  there  were  some  among  the 
caste  people  a.;-  ,  two  of  whom  were  baptized.  The  field 
truly  seemed  ready  to  be  reaped. 

But  if  any  one  supposes  that  missionaries  are  having 
it  all  their  own  way,  and  that  the  great  enemy  of  souls 
is  not  fully  awake  to  the  danger  that  threatens  his  hold 
upon  the  Telugus,  perhaps  the  following  account  of  what 
Mr.  Thomssen  calls  a  "  heathen  revival,'*  may  tend  to 
correct  that  impression.  "AYhile  I  am  writing  this,  a 
din  deafens  me.  ]Many  tom-toms  are  being  beaten,  horns 
are  being  blown,  goats  and  sheep  are  bleating,  sky- 
rockets ascend,  fire-crackers  explode,  people  shout  and 
sing.  But  what  means  this?  During  the  last  months 
many  houses  have  been  burned.  The  wily,  wicked  Brah- 
mans  tell  the  people  this  is  the  work  of  Ankamma.  The 
wrath  of  this  goddess  has  been  incensed,  and  she  is  burn- 
ing up  the  houses  and  the  crops  ;  and  now  the  people  are 
sacrificing  thousands  of  goats  and  sheep,  spending  enor- 
mous sums  of  money  to  appease  the  goddess,  and  to  feed 


196  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU    MT.-SION. 

the  lazy,  good-for-nothing  Brahmans.  The  Ankamma 
temple  is  back  of  our  mission  compound,  and  so  we  are 
disturbed  day  and  night  by  unearthly  sounds.  This 
feast  has  been  in  progress  for  nearly  two  months,  and 
none  can  tell  when  it  will  come  to  a  close.  By  this  means, 
we  have  had  an  opportunity  of  preaching  the  gospel  to 
thousands,  who  before  this  have  never  heard  the  name  of 
Jesus.  We  have  been  sowing  the  seed  ;  and  we  fully  be- 
lieve that  in  due  time  it  will  germinate  and  bear  fruit. 

"  In  my  travels  during  the  last  mouths,  in  almost  every 
village  I  have  been  met  by  bands  of  people,  carrying  an 
idol-house  on  bamboos,  bearing  torches,  and  every  man, 
woman,  and  child  having  a  staff  with  a  bunch  of  leaves 
tied  to  the  top.  On  inquiry,  I  have  been  told  each  band 
is  Rama  dandu;  i.  e.,  God's  army.  So  far  as  I  can  learn, 
this  is  a  commemorative  celebration  of  the  exploits  of 
Rama,  in  his  war  with  the  giant  Ravauah.  It  is  reported 
in  Hindu  mythology,  that  Ravanah  abducted  Seetamma, 
the  wife  of  Rama.  At  Vinukonda,  the  mount  of  hear- 
ing, Rama  heard  of  this ;  and  seventy-two  million  mon- 
keys assisted  him  in  the  war  with  Ravanah.  This  host 
of  monkeys  was  called  Rama  dandu,  or  God's  army. 
These  bands  of  wandering  devotees  must  sleep  and  eat 
in  three  different  villages,  on  three  successive  nights. 
All  castes,  as  well  as  out-castes,  are  represented  in  the 
ranks.  The  procession  moves  on,  while  tom-toms  are 
beaten,  and  horns  and  other  instruments  are  played. 
The  people  shout  and  sing,  'Rama,  as  in  former  days 
seventy-two  million  monkeys  assisted  thee,  so  we  come 
up  to  thy  help.'  I  am  told  that  for  forty  years  there 
has  not  been  such  a  revival  of  idolatry  as  this." 


ENLARGI^'G   THE    BOrNDAKIES.  197 

Just  as  Mr.  Thomssen  was  getting  fairly  into  the  work 
at  Vinukonda,  they  were  greatly  afflicted  in  the  loss  of 
their  oldest  child,  a  boy  of  eight  years,  and  of  remark- 
able promise.  This  was  followed  by  the  death  of  their 
baby,  and  the  serious  illness  of  their  only  remaining 
child.  These  bereavements,  together  with  the  double  bur- 
den of  trying  to  care  for  the  Nursaraopetta  and  Vinu- 
konda fields,  told  severely  on  Mr.  Thomssen's  health. 
They  went  to  Masulipatam  in  the  hope  that  the  sea  air 
would  restore  him.  But  in  this  they  were  disappointed. 
Mr.  Thomssen  went  to  Madras,  and  was  for  a  time  in 
the  general  hospital,  but  acting  upon  the  advice  of  the 
doctors,  they  decided  to  return  home,  and  sailed  for 
America  in  September,  1886.  Thus  two  of  the  most 
promising  fields  on  the  mission  were  left  destitute  of  mis- 
sionary oversight.  Dr.  Clough  took  charge,  but,  with 
his  own  large  field  and  the  seminary  on  his  hands,  he 
could  do  little  more  than  give  a  partial  supervision  to 
the  native  helpers  of  Nursaraopetta  and  Vinukonda. 
Mr.  Clough's  energy,  as  we  have  seen,  was  indefatigable, 
and  his  resources  seemed  to  expand  with  every  demand. 
But  he,  as  others,  has  his  limitations,  and  the  charge  of 
these  two  missions,  in  addition  to  his  own,  was  simply 
too  much.  Again  the  need  of  "spare"  men  at  our  mis- 
sions appears. 

Since  1888,  Mr.  Kiernan,  one  of  Dr.  Clough's  assist- 
ants, has  been  in  charge  of  the  Vinukonda  field.  From 
the  reports  Dr.  Clough  has  given,  the  work  seems  to  have 
gone  on  quite  as  well  as  could  be  expected,  in  the  absence 
of  a  regular  missionary.  Indeed,  if  the  number  of  bap- 
tisms is  any  criterion,  the  work  never  was  so  prosperous 


198  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU    MISSION. 

Seven  hundred  and  fourteen  were  baptized  in  1889,  and 
five  hundred  and  forty-three  in  1890. 

Udayagiri  is  a  village  of  some  three  thousand  inhabi- 
tants, situated  about  sixty  miles  west  of  Nellore,  with 
which  it  is  connected  by  a  good  road.  It  lies  at  the  base 
of  an  isolated  hill,  which  rises  to  a  height  of  three  thous- 
and and  seventy-nine  feet,  from  the  top  of  which  a  mag- 
nificent view  may  be  obtained.  On  the  east  may  be  seen, 
on  a  clear  day,  the  silvery  line  of  the  ocean,  seventy-five 
miles  distant ;  on  the  north  and  south  a  stretch  of  level 
country,  and  on  the  west  the  Eastern  Ghauts.  It  is  a 
glorious  place  for  seeing  the  sun  both  rise  and  set.  It  is 
this  that  probably  gave  the  name  to  the  place  "  Udaya," 
rising  or  morning,  and  "  giri,"  a  hill ;  hill  of  the  rising,  or 
hill  of  the  morning.  The  hill  was  once  strongly  fortified, 
being  entirely  surrounded  by  three  tiers  of  battlements, 
and  having  fifteen  bastions  for  heavy  guns,  all  in  a  very 
fair  state  of  preservation.  Down  to  1840  it  was  held  by 
a  petty  prince,  but  on  account  of  his  suspected  treasonable 
plots  the  fortress  was  dismantled. 

As  early  as  1851,  Mr.  Day,  while  on  one  of  his  tours, 
selected  this  place  as  a  suitable  one  for  a  mission  station, 
and  prayed  for  a  man  to  be  sent  there.  The  answer  to 
that  prayer  was  long  delayed,  for  the  man  had  to  be  born, 
and  converted,  and  educated,  but  at  last  he  came  in  the 
person  of  Kev.  J.  F.  Burditt. 

Mr.  Burditt  was  originally  designated  to  Ongole,  but 
was  transferred  to  Nellore,  to  act  for  Mr.  Downie  during 
the  latter's  two  years'  absence  in  America.  On  being 
relieved,  in  1884,  Mr.  Burditt  proceeded  to  take  up  his 


ENLARGING   THE   BOUNDARIES.  199 

new  appointment  at  Udayagiri.  His  first  work  was  the 
erection  of  a  mission  bungalow.  This  was  attended  with 
great  difficulties  and  delays,  owing  to  the  absence  of  ex- 
perienced workmen  and  suitable  materials.  Still,  by  perse- 
vering efforts,  the  bungalow  was  completed  and  occupied 
in  1886,  and  a  creditable  beginning  was  made  in  the 
work. 

There  is  probably  not  another  station  in  tlie  mission 
so  thoroughly  cut  off  from  civilized  life,  or  a  harder  or 
more  discouraging  field  than  this  at  Udayagiri.  It  is 
literally  in  the  jungle,  ftnd,  although  the  missionaries  of 
Nellore  and  Ramapatam  from  Mr.  Day's  time  have  made 
occasional  visits  to  it,  and  now  and  then  a  convert  or 
two,  it  is  to  all  intents  and  purposes  virgin  soil,  and  very 
hard  and  stony  at  that.  But  there  is  nothing  too  hard 
for  the  Lord,  and,  as  we  shall  see,  even  in  such  regions 
as  Udayagiri,  the  gospel  faithfully  preached  will  find  its 
way  to  the  stony  heart. 

To  begin  a  new  station  in  such  a  field  as  this  is  a  very 
different  thing  from  opening  one  in  a  region  containing 
hundreds  and  thousands  of  Christians.  The  Christians 
may  be  ignorant,  and  the  task  of  developing  them  into 
something  approximating  a  Christian  church  may  be  a 
difficult  one,  but  still  it  is  a  much  more  trying  and  dis- 
couraging work  to  begin  de  novo  in  such  a  barren,  heathen 
soil  as  Udayagiri.  But  there  is,  at  least,  this  one  com- 
pensation, that  as  Paul  "strived  to  preach  the  gospel, 
not  where  Christ  was  named,  lest  I  should  build  upon 
another  man's  foundation,"  the  missionary  in  such  a  field 
as  Udayagiri  has  that  privilege,  without  striving  for  it. 

In  one  of  his  early  reports,  Mr.  Burditt  said :   "  At 


200  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

present  we  are  surrounded  by  the  thick  darkness  of 
heathenism.  Pioneer  work  is  not  a  thing  of  the  past  in 
this  section  of  Telugu  land,  at  least.  The  people  seem 
to  have  hardly  any  sense  of  sin,  or  desire  for  salvation ; 
no  concern  as  to  death,  eternity,  or  anything  future. 
Their  whole  thought  in  regard  to  our  message  is,  *  Can 
you  promise  material  benefit  if  I  embrace  this  religion  ? 
If  not,  then  we  don't  want  it.'  May  we  be  supported  by 
the  prayers  of  God's  people." 

Mr.  Burditt  spent  a  large  portion  of  1886  in  touring. 
He  began  this  work  on  New  Year's  day,  and  on  that 
trip  preached  in  many  villages  where  the  gospel  had 
never  before  been  heard.  His  second  tour  was  on  that 
portion  of  the  field  formerly  belonging  to  Nellore.  On 
the  11th  of  July  a  churcli  was  organized,  and  ten  converts 
were  baptized.  During  the  same  year  a  section  of  what 
was  once  the  Ramapatam  field  was  handed  over  to  Mr. 
Burditt  by  Dr.  Clough.  With  it  came  a  number  of 
helpers,  and  quite  a  number  of  Christians.  Mr.  Bur- 
ditt found  that  the  Christians  had  suffered  for  want  of 
proper  watch-care,  owing  to  their  great  distance  from 
Ongole.  Discipline  was  much  needed,  but  this  was 
wisely  postponed  to  see  what  could  be  done  by  instruc- 
tion and  reproof. 

The  following  year  touring  waa  continued,  and  the 
station  work  began  to  be  more  hopeful  and  fruitful.  By 
the  close  of  this  year  the  membership  had  increased  to 
three  hundred.  A  small  boarding  school  had  been  con- 
ducted by  Mrs.  Burditt,  also  a  Bible  class  for  women,  and 
nine  village  schools  were  kept  up. 

The  year  1889  opened  brightly  for  the  new  station. 


ENLARGING   THE   BOUNDARIES.  201 

In  every  department  of  the  work  there  was  a  very  de- 
cided advance,  and  the  missionaries  were  greatly  encour- 
aged. Forty- five  had  been  baptized,  but  the  discipline 
which  was  impending  in  1886  seems  to  have  taken  place, 
as  the  total  membership  in  1889  was  one  hundred  and 
seventeen.  Besides  a  number  of  deaths  among  the  native 
Christians  this  year,  the  missionaries  were  called  to  meet 
their  first  family  sorrow  in  the  death  of  a  lovely  little 
baby-girl.  Alone  in  the  jungle,  they  had  to  do  for  them- 
selves and  their  little  child  those  sad  offices  which  are 
usually  performed  by  others  on  such  occasions. 

All  these  years  there  was  nothing  worthy  the  name  of 
a  chapel  at  Udayagiri.  Repeated  appeals  for  aid  in 
securing  a  chapel  had  been  made  to  the  Board,  but  for 
want  of  funds,  or  some  other  cause,  no  response  came. 
But  a  chapel  had  to  be  built,  or  the  work  could  not  go 
on  as  it  should.  The  Nellore  Church  contributed  fifty 
rupees,  and  the  missionary  at  Nellore  provided-fifty  ru- 
pees more.  Other  missionaries  also  contributed,  and  the 
Christians  of  Udayagiri  gave  to  the  full  extent  of  their 
ability.  A  friend  in  Canada  gave  several  hundred  dol- 
lars, and  one  way  and  another  a  handsome  little  chapel 
was  completed  and  dedicated  on  the  12th  of  April,  1891. 
It  cost  only  two  thousand  rupees,  and  considering  its 
size,  beauty,  and  quality  is  probably  the  cheapest  build- 
ing ever  erected  in  the  mission.  In  the  material,  as  well 
as  the  spiritual  sense  of  the  term,  Mr.  Burditt  has  proven 
himself  to  be  a  "  wise  master  builder." 

Ailer  nine  years  of  hard,  faithful,  and  successful  mis- 
sionary work,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Burditt  had  fairly  earned  a 
respite  from  their  labors.     But,  even  then,  it  was  with 


202  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGIJ   MISSION. 

great  reluctance  that  they  availed  themselves  of  the  in- 
vitation of  the  Board  to  return  home  for  a  season  of  rest. 
Nor  would  they  have  done  it,  but  for  the  fact  that  the 
state  of  their  health  demanded  it.  They  left  Udayagiri 
on  the  13th,  and  sailed  from  Bombay  on  the  18th  of 
April,  1891,  for  England,  en  route  for  America. 

The  Kev.  W.  R.  Manley,  having  returned  from  his  fur- 
lough, was  appointed  to  Udayagiri  until  Mr.  Burditt 
should  return. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE   mission's   JUBILEE. 

The  Jubilee  celebration.  Held  at  Nellore,  The  selection  of  the  date  re- 
markable. Gathering  of  missionaries  and  others  an  inspiring  sight.  Ad- 
dress ot  J.  Grose,  Esq.  Regret  at  Dr.  Jewett's  absence.  An  expression  of 
appreciation.  Early  struggles  and  present  success.  Permanence  and  sta- 
bility. Eecognition  of  the  mission's  efficiency.  Recognition  of  progress. 
Au  encouraging  recital.  Reminiscence  of  a  visit  to  Ongole.  Thanks  to 
Dr.  Clough  for  educational  advantages.  School  work  and  mission  work. 
Education  of  converts  absolutely  needed.  Native  evangelists  should  be 
thoroughly  equipped.  A  confusion  of  creeds  in  India.  The  native  races. 
The  modified  Turanianism,  Brahmanisra,  and  its  system  of  caste.  Mo- 
hammedanism and  Buddhism.  Progress  of  Christianity.  Efforts  of  think- 
ers for  a  new  faith.  Present  religious  unrest  and  intellectual  ferment. 
Income  tax  and  exchange.  Necessary  impartial  attitude  of  the  govern- 
ment. Opportunities  for  missionaries.  An  encouraging  hope.  Memo- 
rial sketches.  Fitness  of  them.  Mortality  among  missiouaries.  The 
founder  of  the  mission,  Mr.  Day.  His  field  of  labor.  His  discourage- 
ments and  perseverance.  His  labors  and  death.  Subsequent  success 
owing  much  to  him.  Career  of  Mrs.  Day.  Faithfulness  in  work.  Surviv- 
ing her  husband.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Van  Huseu.  Excellence  of  character  and 
faithfulness  in  work.  Mrs.  Williams  and  Mrs.  Newhall.  Faithful  labors 
and  brief  careers.  Rev.  S.  W.  Nichols  and  others.  Especial  mention  of 
Rev.  A.  V.  Timpany.  His  devotion  and  success.  Falling  in  the  harness. 
Conclusion.  Gratitude  for  the  past.  Vastly  more  to  be  accomplished. 
Christ's  travail  and  coronation. 

ALTHOUGH  the  proceedings  of  the  Jubilee  celebra- 
tion have  been  published  in  a  small  volume,  en- 
titled "  The  Lone  Star  Jubilee,"  this  history  would  be 
incomplete  if  it  did  not  contain  some  account  of  that 
most  deeply  interesting  and  memorable  occasion.  We 
cannot,  of  course,  reproduce  the  whole  Jubilee  volume, 
and   to   discriminate   and   make   a  selection   of   a   few 


204  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

portions  from  so  much  that  is  excellent,  is  a  somewhat 
delicate  task.  But  we  see  no  way  other  than  to  assume 
the  responsibility. 

The  Jubilee  was  held  at  Nellore  almost  as  a  matter 
of  course ;  for  while  the  mission  did  not,  strictly  speaking, 
originate  at  Nellore,  yet  it  was  there  that  it  first  found 
its  permanent  location,  and  hence  Nellore  is  the  parent 
station.  When  the  5th  of  February,  1886,  was  fixed 
upon  as  the  day  for  beginning  the  Jubilee,  it  was  not 
known  to  the  committee  that  had  the  matter  in  hand, 
that  it  had  hit  upon  the  exact  date  on  which  Mr.  Day 
landed  in  India,  fifty  years  before.  Of  course  the  mem- 
bers of  the  committee  might  have  known,  had  they  tried, 
but  the  fact  that  they  did  not  know,  and  yet  selected  the 
exact  date,  seemed  remarkable. 

To  see  thirty-one  missionaries  from  twenty  diflferent 
stations  in  the  Telugu  country  gather  at  Nellore,  the 
once  "  Lone  Star,"  was  a  grand  sight,  which  will  not 
be  soon  forgotten  by  those  who  witnessed  it. 

After  a  devotional  service  (which  preceded  each  ses- 
sion), the  Kev.  D,  Downie,  of  Nellore,  delivered  an  Ad- 
dress of  Welcome.  This  was  followed  by  Reminiscences 
of  Rev.  S.  S.  Day,  by  Miss  M.  M.  Day,  which  are  for  the 
most  part  embodied  in  the  early  part  of  this  history.  The 
afternoon  session  of  the  first  and  succeeding  days  was 
given  to  services  in  Telugu  of  a  deeply  interesting  nature. 

Of  the  many  valuable  papers  read  and  addresses  de- 
livered, during  the  six  days  of  the  Jubilee  Conference, 
we  have  selected  the  following  as  perhaps  the  most  im- 
portant to  the  general  reader,  and  which  ought  to  find  a 
place  in  this  volume. 


THE   MISSION'S   JUBILEE.  205 

J.  Grose,  Esq.,  M.  A.,  M.  C.  S.,  Collector  of  the  Nel- 
lore  District,  addressed  the  meeting  as  follows : 

"I  must  begin  bj  giving  expression  to  the  general 
feeling  of  regret  that  Dr.  Jewett  is  not  here  to  take  the 
chair  this  evening,  as  was  intended  when  the  programme 
was  first  drawn  out.  It  was  a  great  disappointment  when 
the  news  came  that  he  had  to  leave  India  finally,  on  ac- 
count of  the  illness  of  Mrs.  Jewett.  No  one  could  know 
the  doctor  without  loving  him,  and  what  Mr.  Downie 
and  Miss  Rauschenbusch  have  told  us  this  evening  shows 
us  more  than  ever  how  highly  we  must  value  their  earn- 
est and  devoted  work,  and  the  prophetic  foresight  and 
strength  of  character  with  which  the  doctor,  foreseeing 
the  ultimate  success  of  the  mission,  resolved  that  it  should 
still  go  on,  when  others  lost  courage  and  were  inclined 
to  take  their  hand  from  the  plough.  It  was  a  graceful 
tribute  to  leave  that  flower-decked  chair  empty,  in  token 
that  though  our  chairman  is  absent  in  body,  he  is  with 
us  in  spirit.  It  seems  to  us  especially  hard  that  Dr. 
Jewett  should  have  been  taken  away  from  India  just 
before  this  Jubilee,  which  his  work  has  made  possible, 
and  which  would  have  given  as  much  delight  to  him  as 
to  any  one.  The  ways  of  Providence  in  this  matter  are 
past  our  understanding,  but  we  know  they  are  for  his 
good,  as  well  as  ours ;  and  our  comfort  must  be,  that 
though  a  good  man  and  true  has  gone  from  our  midst, 
there  are  good  men  and  true  still  left ;  men  who  will  work 
all  the  more  zealously  and  devotedly  because  of  the  in- 
fluence and  example  of  Dr.  Jewett. 

"  I  must  next  thank  you,  gentlemen  of  the  mission,  for 
giving  me  this  opportunity,  on  an  occasion  which  belongs 


206  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU    MISSION. 

absolutely  to  you,  of  expressing  ray  sympathy  with  your 
labors,  and  my  appreciation  of  the  results  which  those 
labors  have  obtained  in  this  and  the  surrounding  dis- 
tricts. I  need  add  nothing  to  Mr.  Downie's  story  of  how 
God  kept  the  mission  together  till  the  long  and  weary 
struggles  of  the  beginning  passed  into  the  success  which 
now  attends  it ;  but  I  must  say  something  as  to  its  per- 
manence and  stability,  and  as  to  the  recognition  which 
the  work  of  the  Lone  Star  Mission  has  compelled.  I 
find  its  name  well  known  in  the  remotest  villages  which 
I  visit.  The  aid  which  it  gave  to  the  people  and  to  the 
authorities  at  the  time  of  the  great  famine  has  attracted 
the  attention  of  government  to  it,  and  established  its 
reputation  as  one  of  the  instruments  on  which  government 
must  rely  in  times  of  difficulty.  The  work  it  has  done  has 
been  so  persistent  and  widespread  that  the  consequences 
can  never  disappear.  The  thousands  who  owe  to  it  not 
only  a  rise  in  social  status,  but  a  knowledge  of  the  ines- 
timable love  of  God  in  the  redemption  of  the  world  by 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  means  of  grace,  and  the  hope 
of  glory,  are  not  only  a  proof  of  its  efficiency  as  an 
evangelizing  mission,  but  a  security  that  its  memory  will 
never  be  forgotten.  All  the  mission  wants  is  support, 
and  work  so  good  as  its"  work  is,  is  sure  to  find  support ; 
so  that  we  may  be  confident  that  its  existence  will  remain 
unimpaired  till  its  work  is  fully  done. 

"  Our  thanks  are  due  to  Mr,  Downie  for  the  history 
which  he  luis  given  us  of  the  mission,  showing  how  the 
little  church  of  eight  members  at  Nellore,  with  its  single 
missionary,  established  as  the  result  of  nine  years'  hard 
work  after  the  mission   had  commenced,  has  developed 


THE   MISSION'S   JUBILEE.  207 

into  the  institution  as  we  see  it  at  present,  with  its 
thousands  of  converts,  with  its  numerous  missionaries, 
with  its  successful  schools  at  Nellore  and  Ongole,  and 
with  its  theological  college,  and  what  the  sub -collector 
calls  its  cathedral — I  have  only  seen  it  myself  from  the 
dim  distance  of  the  canal — at  Ramapatam,  and  its  chapel 
here.  When  I  say  our  thanks,  I  mean  the  thanks  of  us 
outsiders  especially.  No  doubt  you  missionaries  knew 
beforehand  the  kind  of  story  Mr.  Downie  would  have  to 
tell,  but  we,  who  are  outside,  knew  less  about  it,  and  it 
was  extremely  encouraging  to  hear  how  strong  faith, 
long-continued  through  stony  paths,  had  led  the  mission 
upward  and  onward,  so  as  to  prove  that  the  Lord  of  all 
power  and  might  is  with  us  still,  ready  as  ever  to  help 
those  who  help  themselves. 

"  The  presence  this  evening  of  many  of  the  faces  I  see 
before  me  reminds  me  of  my  visit  to  Ongole  in  1884,  and 
of  the  pleased  astonishment  with  which  I  found  active 
school  work  with  hundreds  of  children  going  on  in 
spacious  buildings,  public  worship  celebrated  in  a  man- 
ner which  seemed  more  fit  for  our  largest  towns  than 
Ongole,  and  signs  all  around  that  a  great  evangelizing 
work  was  in  rapid  progress.  I  remember  saying,  when 
the  foundation  stone  of  this  chapel  was  laid,  that  I  looked 
forward  with  much  interest  and  great  hopes  to  the  open- 
ing of  the  high  school  by  this  mission  at  Ongole,  and  I 
am  glad  to  know  that  my  hopes  have  been  amply  ful- 
filled. My  thanks,  as  collector  of  this  district,  are  due 
to  Dr.  Clough,  who  projected  the  school,  who  has  watched 
over  it  from  the  beginning,  and  who  has  induced  the 
generous  people  of  America  to  give  it-  a  new  building, 


208  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU    MISSION. 

now  it  has  outgrown  the  first  one.  He  has  been  ably 
seconded  by  Mr.  Manley,  but  the  credit  of  the  concep- 
tion belongs  to  him  alone.  I  know  of  no  place  in  this 
presidency,  or,  indeed,  in  all  India,  where  a  school  of  this 
kind  was  so  much  wanted,  and  it  is  a  glory  to  the  mis- 
sion that  it  has  supplied  the  want. 

"I  have  already  said  that  a  great  evangelizing  work  is 
in  progress  at  Ongole,  and  it  seems  to  me  the  proper 
complement  of  the  scholastic  efforts  which  are  being 
made  there,  that  the  number  of  converts  at  Ongole  is 
large  in  itself,  and  is  increasing  steadily.  In  this 
country,  it  seems  to  me  that  school  work  must  be  a  part 
of  mission  work.  I  know  that  the  subject  is  a  well-worn 
one,  and  that  I  cannot  hope  to  say  anything  new  about 
it,  but  I  feel  it  my  duty  to  state  my  opinion,  that  the 
people  who  contend  that  all  mission  money  should  be 
spent  in  preaching  the  gospel,  and  little  or  none  in  teach- 
ing children,  are  wrong.  The  notion,  it  seems  to  me,  is 
a  notion  which  springs  from  ignorance  or  misapprehen- 
sion of  Indian  conditions,  and  from  undervaluing  the 
power  of  caste.  The  converts  who  can  be  got  at  first 
are  people  whose  children  have  to  be  taught  good  habits, 
and  skill  at  handiwork,  in  order  that  they  may  do  Chris- 
tianity credit,  and  not  disgrace  it.  More  than  that,  the 
evangelizers  of  the  future — and  native  members  of  the 
church  must  be  employed  as  evangelizers  before  work  so 
wide  is  done  that  the  face  of  Indian  society  can  be 
changed,  and  Christ  reign  triumphant  from  shore  to 
shore — these  native  evangelizers  must  be  furnished  with 
all  the  weapons  supplied  by  Western  education,  before 
they    can    compete   witli    the   champions  of  heathenism, 


THE   MISSION "S   JUBILEE.  209 

and  silence  them.  In  most  countries,  the  use  of  a  wrong 
word,  or  a  slip  in  grammar  or  logic,  is  as  likely  to  result 
in  the  failure  of  an  arguer,  as  a  failure  in  truth ;  but 
this  is  more  the  case  as  regards  religious  arguments  in 
India  than  anywhere  else.  India  cannot  be  said  to  be 
a  nation  with  a  settled  creed,  or  even  a  congeries  of 
nations,  with  a  congeries  of  settled  creeds.  Hinduism 
and  Mohammedanism,  with  many  variations  of  each, 
jostle  each  other  everywhere.  A  thousand  antagonists 
wait  with  ridicule,  ready  for  each  slip,  when  the  gospel 
is  preached.  The  champions  of  Christianity  have  to 
contend  to  a  vast  extent  about  the  meaning  of  words 
and  meiaphysical  conceptions,  and  nothing  short  of  a 
thoroughly  good  education  can  enable  them  to  gain  the 
victory  in  such  contests. 

"  As  I  have  said,  this  is  a  country  of  innumerable  con- 
flicting creeds,  jostling  each  other  everywhere.  To  begin 
with,  there  are  the  aboriginal  races  with  their  idols, 
wliich  are  always  of  the  lowest  type,  and  often  shapeless. 
Then  come  the  Turanian  and  Scythic  races,  who  are  deep 
down  in  the  social  scale,  but  whose  system  is  so  leavened 
by  Brahmanism  that  their  religion  can  hardly  be  dis- 
tinguished from  Hinduism.  Then  come  the  Brahmans 
and  the  higher  castes,  who  are  at  the  head  of  the  social 
fabric,  and  who  have  fashioned  the  institution  of  caste, 
and  made  it  what  it  is  now%  the  most  persistent,  conserv- 
ing element  of  the  policy  which  keeps  them  at  the  top, 
and  the  most  watchful  and  inveterate  antagonist  of  every 
system  like  Christianity,  which  attempts  to  do  away  with 
such  distinction,  and  let  the  best  man  win  his  way  up, 
whatever  his  beginning  may  have  been.  Among  the  other 

o 


210  HISTOllY   OF   THE   TELUGU    MISSION. 

religions  comes  Mohammedanism,  wbich  fights  with  all, 
but  has  not  succeeded  in  routing  any.  Among  them  was 
Buddhism ;  but  Buddhism,  though  it  prevails  through- 
out all  the  Eastern  world  except  India,  is  dead,  or  almost 
dead,  in  India,  where  it  began.  Last  of  all  comes  Chris- 
tianity, which,  if  we  believe  our  Bibles,  we  must  be  sure 
will  eventually  extirpate  all  others.  The  state  of  society 
is  such  that  its  progress  must  be  slow  ;  but,  though  slow, 
it  has  been  sure.  Education  is  awaking  the  country,  and 
making  its  best  men  dissatisfied  with  Hinduism  and  caste. 
Our  government,  in  freeing  the  land  from  war  and  an- 
archy, has  given  the  people  time  and  opportunity  for 
speculation.  The  thinkers  are  trying  now,  very  natu- 
rally, to  discover  some  new  system  better  and  higher  than 
Christianity,  but  we  know  they  will  fail  in  this;  and 
when  they  fail,  and  acknowledge  their  failure,  the  foun- 
dations of  caste  being  loosened,  and  all  eyes  looking  for 
a  new  light,  Christianity  will  come  in  and  take  posses- 
sion. 

"  Yet  in  this  country  where,  it  must  be  remembered, 
the  conditions  are  such  as  to  make  social  changes  slower 
and  less  frequent  than  they  are  in  other  countries,  so 
that  they  excite  unusual  attention  when  they  come,  there 
is  a  vast  amount  of  unrest  and  upheaval  going  on  at 
present.  Noisy  schemes  of  self-government  fill  the  air 
with  clamor.  The  people  of  India,  or  rather  of  the 
presidency  towns,  have  tried  for  the  first  time  to  influ- 
ence the  course  of  a  great  election  in  England.  Our 
frontier  has  been  shown  to  be  vulnerable ;  though,  thank 
God,  it  has  not  been  penetrated  yet.  A  short  and  com- 
paratively bloodless  war  has  added  a  new  State  to  our 


THE   MISSION'S   JUBILEE.  211 

great  empire.  The  expense  thus  iocurred  has  imposed 
on  us  a  renewal  of  the  dreaded  income  tax,  which  is  all 
the  more  dreaded  in  these  days  when  the  rupee  is  suffer- 
ing from  the  disease  called  *  exchange.'  Curious  relig- 
ious systems  are  having  their  birth,  welcomed  with  still 
more  curious  enthusiasm.  The  education  of  boys  has 
progressed  till  it  has  created  a  pu})lic  opinion,  and  the 
education  of  girls  has  assumed  so  much  importance  that 
it  may  be  reckoned  as  a  factor  in  the  government  of  the 
State.  The  government  has  continued  triumphant  io 
long,  that  it  may  now  safely  assert  its  religion,  though 
it  had  so  long  to  act  as  if  it  were  of  all  religions,  and 
has  still  to  preserve  an  impartial  attitude.  This  time  of 
change  is  full  of  opportunities  for  missionaries,  and  for 
none  more  than  you,  who,  with  the  example  of  Mr.  Day 
and  the  other  founders  of  the  mission  before  you,  may 
be  trusted  to  take  full  advantage  of  it. 

"  I  must  conclude  by  expressing  my  hope,  indeed  my 
certainty,  that  this  mission,  which  has  now  lasted  fifty 
years,  will  continue  to  the-- end  the  good  work  which  it 
has  begun.  I  won't  hope  that  it  will  have  many  more 
Jubilees,  for  each  Jubilee  will  mark  the  fact  that  fifty 
years  have  passed  away.  But  now,  as  I  have  told  you, 
affairs  are  beginning  to  progress  more  rapidly ;  vic- 
tories will  be  more  frequsnt  and  significant.  The  occa- 
sions for  celebrating  them  will  come  more  often,  and 
I  trust  that  there  may  be  many  such  occasions  as  in- 
teresting as  this  Jubilee,  and  even  more  full  of  rejoicing. 
In  the  meantime,  the  missionaries  will  continue — and 
they  cannot  do  better  or  stronger  work — to  tell  the 
people  of 


212  HISTORY  OF  THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

'*  'That  God,  who  ever  lives  and  loves 
One  God,  one  law,  one  element, 
And  one  far-otit'  divine  event 
To  which  the  whole  creation  moves.'  " 

This  inspiring  and  appreciative  address  by  the  col- 
lector of  the  district  was  received  enthusiastically  by 
those  present,  and  others  followed  that  were  equally  full 
of  thankfulness  for  the  past  and  hope  for  the  future. 
The  entire  series  of  meetings,  we  may  say,  was  helpful  in 
the  extreme. 


MEMORIAL  SKETCH. 

DECEASED    MISSIONARIES    OF    THE    AMERICAN   BAPTIST 
AND   CANADIAN   BAPTIST   TELUGU   MIS- 
SIONS.    1836-1886. 


BY  THE   REV.   W.   B.  BOGGS,  OF   KAMAPATAM. 


ACOMMEMOKATIVE  celebration  is  held  from 
time  to  time  by  the  surv^ivors  of  Balaklava  and 
Inkerman,  Cawnpore  and  Lucknow,  to  recall  those  thrill- 
ing scenes,  and  to  keep  alive  memories  of  their  comrades, 
the  brave  dead  who  laid  down  their  lives  in  the  weary 
siege,  or  on  the  blood-stained  field. 

Is  it  not  meet  also  for  the  soldiers  of  Christ,  who  still 
survive,  to  recall  the  memory  of  their  sainted  comrades, 
to  remember  on  such  an  occasion  as  this,  their  lives,  and 
labors,  and  faithfulness,  and  love ;  yea,  even  their  faces 
and  their  voices,  not  to  canonize  them,  but  to  keep  fresh 
in  our  hearts  the  Christian  love  which  once  bound  us 
together  in  the  service  of  our  Heavenly  Master.  It 
seems  right  to  place  on  permanent  record  the  leading 
facts  of  their  history,  and  the  prominent  features  of  their 
characters,  albeit  they  are  already  on  permanent  record 
on  "  the  tablets  of  enduring  memory." 

From  the  landing  of  Rev.  S.  S.  Day  in  India,  in  the 
year  1836,  to  the  present  time,  out  of  an  aggregate  of 
about  ei'jkty  missionaries  connected  with  the  two  mis- 
sions here  represented,  twelve  have  fallen  asleep  in  Jesus. 

213 


214  HISTORY    OF   THE   TELUGU    MI-SIOX. 

Of  these,  dx  died  in  active  service  in  India,  and  six  after 
their  return  to  America. 

Rev.  S.  S.  Day. — This  number  includes  the  founder 
of  the  mission,  Rev.  S.  S.  Day.  He  was  born  in  On- 
tario, Canada,  in  1808  ;  he  received  his  education  at  Ham- 
ilton Literary  and  Theological  Institution,  was  appointed 
a  missionary  to  the  Telugus  in  1835,  and  arrived  at 
Calcutta,  eu  route  to  Vizagapatam,  February  5,  1836, 
fifty  y^'^'^^  ^9^  to-day.  He  was  located  temporarily  at 
Vizagapatam,  Chicacole,  and  Madras,  and  made  earnest 
evangelistic  efforts  at  each  place;  but  in  1840  he  estab- 
lished the  mission  permanently  at  Nellore.  In  those 
early  days  progress  was  slow,  for  prejudice  against 
Christianity  was  strong. 

Those  were  the  trying  times  of  clearing  the  ground, 
breaking  up  the  hard  soil,  and  sowing  the  seed ;  the  times 
that  test  faith  and  patience.  But  through  all  discour- 
agements and  obstacles,  he  faithfully  persevered  in  his 
work  as  a  messenger  of  Christ  to  these  idolatrous  myri- 
ads. He  visited  America  in  1846,  and  on  his  return  to 
this  country,  in  1848,  was  accompanied  by  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Jewett.  On  account  of  feeble  health,  he  w^nt  again  to 
America  in  1853,  and  was  never  again  able  to  resume 
his  loved  work  in  India.  Then  followed  long  years  of 
waiting  and  suffering,  his  enforced  absence  from  the  mis- 
sion field  being  very  painful  to  him ;  but  in  the  beautiful 
words  of  Milton,  on  his  own  blindness: 

"They  also  serve  who  onl}'' stand  and  wait." 
He  was,  however,  engaged  as  an  agent  of  the  Mission- 


MEMORIAL   SKETCH.  215 

ary  Union  for  two  or  three  years  in  Canada,  and,  doubts 
less,  the  interest  of  Canadian  Baptists  in  mission  work 
among  the  Telugus  may  be  traced  principally  to  his 
efforts.  He  also  served  in  the  pastorate  and  in  the  oc- 
casional supply  of  several  churches  in  New  York  State, 
as  far  as  his  health  permitted.  After  years  of  great 
physical  suffering,  he  at  last  peacefully  entered  into 
rest  on  Sunday,  September  17,  1871,  at  Homer,  N.  Y. 

Will  not  many  of  the  sheaves  since  gathered  in  with 
rejoicing  be  reckoned  to  him,  the  faithful  sower,  who 
went  "forth  weeping  bearing  precious  seed?"  Should 
not  the  greatness  of  the  superstructure  enhance  the  praise 
of  those  who,  far  back  and  deep  down  laid  the  foun- 
dation? ^ 

Mrs.  Day. — Miss  Roenna  Clarke,  who  became  the 
wife  of  Rev.  S.  S.  Day,  was  born  at  Stoddard,  New 
Hampshire,  October  12,  1809.  She  was  a  true  partner 
of  her  husband's  missionary  labors  and  trials  at  Viza- 
gapatam,  Chicacole,  Madras,  and  Nellore,  and  of  his 
subsequent  ministerial  work  in  America.  Josiah  Bur- 
der,  who  became  a  faithful  and  successful  minister  of 
Christ  in  the  Canadian  Mission,  ascribed  his  conversion 
to  the  efforts  of  Mrs.  Day,  w'hen  he  was  a  pupil  in  her 
school  at  Chicacole.  In  all  the  years  that  followed  her 
return  to  America,  she  always  continued  earnest  in  pro- 
moting the  cause  to  which  her  earlier  years  had  been 
given  in  India.  She  was  also  a  prominent  worker  in  the 
Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union.  She  survived 
her  husband  nine  years,  and  died  at  Homer,  N.  Y.,  May 
19,  1880.     It  was  her  privilege  to  be  helpful  in  founding 


216  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

a  mission,  which  has  since  become  known  throughout  the 
Christian  world,  encouraging  her  husband  in  days  of 
despondency,  comforting  him  in  sorrow,  watching  over 
his  health,  and  sharing  with  him  in  the  patience  of  hope 
and  the  labor  of  love ;  and  with  him,  the  founder  of  the 
mission,  she  shares  the  high  honor  and  the  everlasting 

joy. 

Eev.  Stephen  Van  Husen. — Mr.  Van  Husen  was 
born  at  Catskill,  N.  Y.,  December  5,  1812;  was  educated 
at  Hamilton  Literary  and  Theological  Institution;  sailed 
for  India  in  1839,  and  arrived  at  Nellore  March  21, 
1840.  His  missionary  service  extended  to  five  years 
only,  failing  health  leading  him  to  return  to  America  in 
1845.  The  data  necessary  for  a  more  detailed  sketch  of 
his  life  are  not  available.  He  was  associated  with  Mr. 
Day  here  at  Nellore,  and  was  a  faithful,  devoted  man. 
His  death  took  place  December  13,  1854,  at  Brattleboro, 
Vermont. 

Mrs.  Van  Husen. — Of  Mrs.  Van  Husen's  history,  we 
have  been  able  to  gather  a  few  facts  only.  She  was  born 
at  Lima,  N.  Y.,  March  10,  1811.  We  have  it  on  the 
testimony  of  one  who  knows,  that  she  was  a  most  excel- 
lent woman  and  devoted  missionary,  and  that  she  re- 
garded her  leaving  the  mission  work  as  the  greatest 
trial  of  her  life.  She  died,  we  believe,  at  Niagara  Falls, 
N.  Y.,  but  the  date  is  uncertain. 

Mrs.  Williams.— The  next  name  on  the  roll  of  these 
sainted  ones  brings  us  down  to  quite  a  recent  date  in  the 


MEMORIAL  SKETCH.  217 

history.  It  is  that  of  Mrs.  V.  R.  Williams,  a  name  of 
precious  memory.  For  the  facts,  we  are  indebted  chiefly 
to  the  beautiful  tribute  prepared  by  Mrs.  Clough  at  the 
time  of  Mrs.  Williams'  death  : 

Miss  Vina  Ruth  Clough  was  born  in  Winnebago 
County,  Illinois,  in  the  year  1845,  but  in  her  childhood 
removed  with  her  parents  to  the  State  of  Iowa,  where 
her  youth  was  spent.  Being  brought  to  the  knowledge 
of  Christ's  love,  she  became  a  living,  active  Christian, 
and  at  the  time  of  her  brother's  dedication  to  the  mis- 
sionary service  in  1864,  she  felt  the  stirrings  of  the 
missionary  spirit  in  her  heart;  and  from  that  time 
was  desirous  to  be  engaged  in  efforts  for  the  salva- 
tion of  souls.  She  earnestly  sought  for  mental  improve- 
ment, and  attained  her  purpose  in  a  very  encouraging 
degree. 

In  1873,  she  was  married  to  Rev.  R.  R.  Williams,  then 
under  appointment  to  the  Telugu  Mission  as  principal 
of  the  theological  seminary  at  Ramapatam.  They  ar- 
rived in  this  country  in  December,  1873.  Being  very 
energetic  and  earnest,  she  entered  with  lier  whole  heart 
into  the  work  which  lay  before  her.  She  was  not  con- 
tent to  be  simply  the  wife  of  a  missionary,  but  was  a 
missionary  herself,  the  strong  current  of  her  sympathies 
going  out  toward  all  around  her,  and  her  zeal  manifest- 
ing itself  in  devoted  labors.  She  assisted  much  in  the 
instruction  of  the  students. 

But  in  three  years  her  brief  course  was  ended.  On 
the  3rd  of  June,  1876,  she  died  in  Madras,  her  sudden 
removal  filling  many  hearts  with  sorrow,  aad  leaving  a 
mournfiil  blank  at  Ramapatam.     Her  body  was  brought 


218  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

back  to  Ramapatam,  and  laid  to  rest  near  the  scene  of 
her  devoted  efforts. 

Mrs.  Newhall. — The  next  year,  1877,  took  another 
from  our  ranks  in  the  prime  of  life,  and  usefulness,  and 
hope^ — Mrs.  Newhall,  of  Kamapatam.  Miss  Mary  A. 
Wood  was  born  at  Bridgewater,  England,  in  July,  1845. 
She  went  as  a  child  to  America  with  her  parents,  and 
lived  at  Belvidere,  Illinois.  It  was  there  that  she  pro- 
fessed faith  in  Christ.  In  1867,  she  graduated  at  the 
Rockford  Female  Seminary.  At  that  time,  she  was 
longing  to  be  engaged  in  mission  work,  and  was  con- 
sidering the  question  of  coming  to  India,  but  her  health 
did  not  then  seem  to  warrant  it.  But  after  spending 
several  years  in  teaching,  she  offered  herself  for  foreign 
mission  service,  and  was  accepted  by  the  Woman's  So- 
ciety of  the  West.  She  sailed  from  New  York,  Sep- 
tember 19,  1874,  and  reached  Nellore  January  2,  1875. 
In  March,  of  the  same  year,  she  went  to  Ramapatam, 
and  was  there  associated  with  Miss  Peabody  in  the  work 
of  female  education. 

On  the  19th  of  July,  1876,  she  was  married  to  Rev. 
A.  A.  Newhall,  and  with  him  shared  in  the  mission 
work,  and  in  the  special  toils  and  trials  which  the 
terrible  famine  of  1877  brought.  She  was  seriously 
ill  on  several  occasions,  each  of  which  left  her  in  a 
more  precarious  state.  At  length,  she  was  brought 
to  Nellore  for  medical  treatment,  and  for  a  time  en- 
couraging hopes  were  entertained  regarding  her.  But 
a  change  came,  and  although  all  was  done  that  love  and 
skill  could  do,  on  the  9th  of  October,  1877,  she  passed 


MEMOillAL   SKETCH.  219 

away  to  the  better  land.  Her  remains  were  interred  in 
the  Nellore  Cemetery.  Judged  by  the  standard  of 
months  and  years,  her  service  was  short;  but  reckoned 
by  her  heart's  love  for  perishing  souls,  and  her  sincere 
consecration  to  the  work  of  bringing  them  to  Christ,  it 
was  long. 

Rev.  S.  W.  Nichols. — He  was  born  in  Vermont,  and 
at  his  conversion  became  a  member  of  the  church  in 
Burlington.  He  studied  at  Madison  University,  and 
was  ordained  at  Brookfield,  N.  Y.,  September  26,  1877. 
After  spending  a  year  in  the  pastorate,  he  ofFeyed  him- 
self for  foreign  missionary  service,  and  in  pursuance  of 
his  appointment,  reached  India  in  company  with  Mrs. 
Nichols  in  December,  1878.  He  was  stationed  at  Mad- 
ras, to  labor  in  co-operation  with  his  father-in-law,  Dr. 
Jewett.  He  entered  on  the  work  of  preparation  with 
earnest  purpose,  but  most  of  the  time  he  was  struggling 
to  bear  up  under  increasing  disease.  The  last  fcAV  months 
of  his  life  were  spent  amid  much  depression  and  suffer- 
ing. On  December  8,  1880,  having  been  only  two  years 
in  India,  he  died  at  Madras,  aged  about  thirty-four  years. 

Mrs.  Nichols. — Miss  Hattie  Jewett,  wife  of  Rev.  S. 
W.  Nichols,  and  daughter  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Jewett,  was 
born  at  Nellore,  in  1854.  She  went  to  America  with 
her  parents  when  she  was  nearly  seven  years  old,  where 
she  remained  until  her  return  to  this  country  as  Mrs. 
Nichols.  She  graduated  from  the  high  school  at  Grand 
Rapids,  Michigan,  and  the  normal  school  at  Oswego, 
N.  Y. 


220  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

Having  spent  her  earlier  years  in  this  country,  the 
Telugu  language  came  to  her  more  readily  on  her  return, 
and  she  was  able  to  enter  upon  zenana  teaching  and 
other  branches  of  mission  work  comparatively  soon. 
Her  energy  and  ability  gave  promise  of  much  useful- 
ness, but  in  1831  her  health  began  to  decline,  and  she 
gradually  sank  until,  on  the  17th  day  of  December, 
1881,  a  year  after  the  death  of  her  husband,  she  passed 
beyond  the  veil,  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven.  Her  rest- 
ing-place is  by  that  of  her  husband,  in  the  Pursewaukum 
Cemetery,  at  Madras. 

Rev.  D.  K.  Rayl. — A  feeling  of  peculiar  sadness  is 
awakened  by  the  recollection  of  this  dear  brother ;  his 
earnest  purposes  and  plans  ended  in  such  early  disap- 
pointment. With  him,  the  sun  went  down  while  it  was 
high  noon.  He  was  in  India  only  about  one  year  and 
a  half,  and  the  latter  part  of  that  period  was  spent  in 
struggling  with  an  incurable  malady. 

Brother  Rayl  was  born  at  Fredericksburg,  Ohio,  Jan- 
uary 8,  1849.  Soon  after  his  conversion,  he  felt  drawn 
toward  the  work  of  the  Christian  ministry.  Desiring 
mental  culture,  he  succeeded  in  taking  a  course  of  study 
at  Denison  University,  Granville,  Ohio,  and  subsequently 
at  the  theological  seminary  at  Morgan  Park.  Respond- 
ing to  the  earnest  call  for  more  laborers  in  the  Telugu 
missions,  he  received  an  appointment,  was  ordained  Au- 
gust 16,  1882,  and  with  Mrs.  Rayl,  landed  in  India  in 
November,  1882.  He  was  located  at  Ongole,  and  besides 
studying  the  Telugu  language,  assisted  in  the  work  of 
the  mission  as  he  was  able,  especially  after  Dr.  Clough's 


MEMORIAL   SKETCH.  221 

departure  for  America  in  October,  1883.     He  was  also 
active  in  the  maintenance  of  English  religious  services. 

He  was  a  truly  pious  and  faithful  man,  but  physically 
unfit  for  this  service.  Early  in  1884,  the  disease  (con- 
sumption), which  had  long  been  undermining  his  strength, 
became  violent,  and  quite  prostrated  him.  Being  com- 
pelled to  give  up  all  hope  of  usefulness,  and  even  life  in 
India,  he,  with  his  wife  and  their  little  child,  set  out  for 
America,  hoping,  if  possible,  to  reach  the  dear  old  home 
before  the  end  should  come.  And  he  did  live  to  reach 
home,  though  in  extreme  prostration.  But  a  few  days 
afterward  he  fell  asleep  in  Jesus.  His  death  took  place 
at  Millbrook,  Ohio,  September  10,  1884,  twenty-four 
days  after  they  landed  at  New  York. 

Mrs.  Kayl. — Her  maiden  name  was  Miss  Lily  John- 
son. Most  of  the  items  of  her  missionary  career  have 
been  already  given  in  the  sketch  of  Mr.  Rayl's  life.  But 
we  may  add  that  she  was  born  in  Illinois,  April  1,  1859. 
Early  in  life  she  wished  to  fit  herself  for  usefulness,  and 
so  followed  a  course  of  study  at  Granville  Ladies'  Semi- 
nary. Afterward  she  spent  some  time  as  a  mission 
teacher  among  the  freedmen  in  the  city  of  Richmond, 
Va.  She  was  a  bright,  spirited,  active  person,  and  de- 
lighted in  the  service  of  Christ.  As  the  wife  of  Brother 
Rayl  she  came  to  India,  a  true  helpmeet,  sharinor  his 
purposes,  his  efibrts,  his  trials,  and  disappointments.  She 
also  went  as  an  invalid  when  they  returned  to  America, 
and  survived  her  husband  only  twenty  days.  She  died 
at  her  mother's  home  at  Sunbury,  Ohio,  September  30, 
1884,  leaving  a  babe  only  a  few  months  old. 


222  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

It  was  in  their  hearts  to  serve  God  in  India,  but  such 
service  was  not  long  permitted  them.  And  it  is  the  lieart 
that  God  takes  special  cognizance  of. 

Rev.  a.  V.  Timpany. — Most  prominent  and  useful 
among  the  workers  in  India  was  Rev.  A.  V.  Timpany.  He 
was  a  burning  and  a  shining  light  in  both  these  missions, 
and  his  name  Avill  long  remain  sacredly  enshrined  in  the 
memories  of  his  co-laborers  both  in  India  and  America, 
and  also  in  the  hearts  of  multitudes  of  Telugu  Chris- 
tians. 

He  was  born  at  Vienna,  Ontario,  Canada,  December 
21,  1840 ;  was  educated  at  the  Woodstock  Institute,  or- 
dained at  Brantford,  October  14,  1867,  and  being  called 
of  God  to  the  foreign  missionary  service,  came  to  India 
under  appointment  of  the  American  Baptist  Missionary 
Union.  He  and  his  wife  landed  at  Madras  in  April, 
1868.  After  spending  the  period  of  preparation  at  Nel- 
lore,  he  removed  in  February,  1870,  to  Ramapatam, 
where  he  opened  a  new  station,  and  cultivated  the  field 
with  great  devotion  and  marked  success.  The  name  of 
A.  V.  Timpany  seems  inseparably  connected  with  Rama- 
patam. When  the  theological  seminary  was  commenced 
in  April,  1872,  Brother  Timpany  was  put  in  charge  of  it 
as  temporary  principal  until  Rev.  R.  R.  Williams  was 
sent  out  especially  for  that  work.  Being  an  assiduous 
student  of  the  Telugu  language,  and  deeply  interested  in 
Bible  work  and  all  measures  designed  to  uplift  and  bless 
the  people,  he  was  chosen  as  one  of  the  Telugu  Revision 
Committee  of  the  Madras  Auxiliary  Bible  Society.  He 
devoted  to  literary  efforts  the  time  that  could  be  spared 


MEMORIAL   SKETCH.  223 

from  his  active  evangelistic  work,  and  prepared  and  pub- 
lished a  "Compendium  of  Theology"  in  Telugu. 

In  1876,  he  and  his  family  went  to  America  on  fur- 
lough, and  while  at  home  his  transfer  from  the  Ameri- 
can to  the  Canadian  Mission  was  effected  most  amicably. 
After  rendering  very  efficient  service  to  the  mission  dur- 
ing his  stay  in  Canada,  he  returned  under  the  auspices 
of  the  Board  of  Ontario  and  Quebec.  He  arrived  in 
India,  the  second  time,  in  December,  1878,  and  was  sta- 
tioned at  Cocanada,  Mr.  McLaurin  removing  to  Samul- 
cotta  to  take  charge  of  the  newly  established  seminary. 
Re-entering  upon  the  mission  work  with  his  accustomed 
zeal  and  vigor,  he  continued  to  sow  the  seed  and  reap  the 
harvest,  to  pray,  and  rejoice,  and  hope,  until  called  to 
rest.  To  him  the  call  came  very  suddenly.  On  the  19th 
of  February,  1885,  at  his  home  at  Cocanada,  in  a  few 
hours  he  passed  from  his  usual  state  of  health  to  the 
grave.  In  the  morning  he  was  seized  with  cholera,  and 
in  the  evening  was  buried. 

A  noble-spirited  man  ;  a  zealous,  faithful,  wise,  suc- 
cessful missionary ;  a  warm-hearted,  true  friend !  The 
tidings  of  his  sudden  departure  sent  a  peculiarly  sharp 
pang  of  grief  through  all  our  hearts  throughout  all  the 
borders  of  the  Telugu  Mission.  But  to  whom,  if  not  to 
him,  shall  the  Master's  approval  be  spoken,  "  Well  done, 
good  and  faithful  servant ! " 

Mrs.  Drake. — Mrs.  Drake  was  born  June  20,  1854, 
near  Niagara,  Canada.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Rev. 
John  Alexander,  at  present  pastor  of  one  of  the  Baptist 
churches  in  Toronto.     She  came  to  India  as  Miss  Isabella 


224  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

Alexander.  She  had  the  full  confidence  of  the  Baptist 
Missionary  Society  of  Ontario  and  Quebec,  under  whose 
auspices  she  was  sent  out,  was  beloved  by  members  in  the 
churches  wherever  she  was  known,  and  was  followed  by 
their  prayers.  She  sailed  from  Boston  October  6,  1887. 
On  the  17th  of  January,  1888,  she  was  married  at  Cocan- 
ada,  to  Rev.  D.  H.  Drake,  of  the  American  Baptist 
Telugu  Mission,  and  soon  after  settled  at  Perambore, 
Madi'as,  where  Mr.  Drake  was  stationed.  Here  she  en- 
tered at  once  on  the  study  of  the  Tel.igu  language,  and 
engaged  in  active  Christian  work  wherever  an  opportunity 
offered,  and  here,  for  three  years,  she  gave  herself  most 
earnestly  and  faithfully  to  the  work  of  Telugu  evangeli- 
zation and  instruction.  "When  Mr.  Drake  took  the  pas- 
torate of  the  English-speaking  Baptist  church  in  Vepery, 
Madras,  they  removed  to  that  part  of  the  city,  and  there 
she  continued  to  labor  assiduously  up  to  the  last,  both 
as  a  pastor's  wife  and  as  a  missionary.  On  Sunday,  Sep- 
tember 20th,  she  taught  her  Sunday-school  class  as  usual 
in  the  afternoon,  came  home  feeling  ill,  was  seized  with 
cholera,  and  on  Monday  morning  met  death  with  perfect 
resignation  and  Christian  hope.  Her  body  rests  in  St. 
Andrew's  Cemetery,  Madras,  near  the  grave  of  another 
devoted  Telugu  missionary,  Rev.  N.  M.  Waterbury,  who 
fell  asleep  in  Jesus  at  Perambore,  in  November,  1886. 

As  a  friend,  Mrs.  Drake  was  genial,  hospitable,  warm- 
hearted ;  as  a  missionary,  earnest,  faithful,  and  loving, 
constantly  engaged  in  the  work  for  which  the  Lord 
called  her  to  India.  Beloved  by  all  her  fellow  mission- 
aries, both  in  her  own  society  and  in  others,  and  by 
all  the  native  Christians  who  came  within  the  range  of 


MEMORIAL   SKETCH.  225 

her  sympathetic  and  earnest  efforts,  she  is  sincerely 
mourned  throughout  the  length  and  breadtli  of  the 
Telugu  Mission.  She  has  passed  on  to  the  rest  that 
remaineth  for  the  people  of  God. 

Thus  these  loved  ones  lived  and  died,  but  they  are  in 
Him,  who  is  "  alive  for  evermore."  To  us  there  is  sad- 
ness, but  to  them  the  eternal  song  We  are  still  in  the 
land  of  the  dying,  while  they  have  reached  the  land  of 
the  living.  To  us  there  is  still  the  cross,  to  them  the 
fadeless  crown.  All  glory  to  God,  in  whom  they  be- 
lieved, and  through  whom  their  lives  were  beautiful  and 
useful,  who  called  them  to  his  service  and  to  eternal  sal- 
vation ! 

With  us  their  names  shall  live 

Through  long  succeeding  years, 
Embalmed  with  all  our  hearts  can  give, 
Our  praises  and  our  tears. 


It  is  not  death  to  die, — 

To  leave  this  weary  road, 
And  'mid  the  brotherhood  on  high, 

To  he  at  home  with  God. 

It  is  not  death  to  close 

The  eye  long  dimmed  by  tears, 
And  wake  in  glorious  repose, 

To  spend  eternal  years. 

It  is  not  death  to  fling 

Aside  this  sinful  dust, 
And  rise  on  strong,  exulting  wing, 

To  live  among  the  just. 

Jesus,  thou  Prince  of  life. 

Thy  chosen  cannot  die, 
Like  thee,  they  conquer  in  the  strife, 

To  reign  with  thee  on  high. 
P 


226  HISTORY   OF   THE   TELUGU   MISSION. 

We  have  reached  the  end  of  our  allottetl  task.  The 
results  of  these  fifty-six  years  of  seed-sowing  and  harvest 
among  the  Telugus  are  ample  to  call  forth  our  profound- 
est  gratitude  to  the  God  of  missions.  But  it  should  also 
be  borne  in  mind  that  what  has  been  done,  is  as  nothing 
compared  to  what  yet  remains  to  be  accomplished.  Not 
yet  can  the  Saviour  "  see  of  the  travail  of  his  soul  and  be 
satisfied."  Nor  will  he,  until  these  thousands  who  have 
been  redeemed  shall  be  multiplied  by  tens  and  hundreds 
of  thousands — nay,  not  till  this  whole  Telugu  people 
shall  be  brought  to  Christ,  and  he  by  them  be  "  crowned 
Lord  of  all." 


THE   END. 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


PAGE 

Abbott,   Rev.    E.  L. :    associated 

with  Mr.  Day 26 

going  to  Burma 26 

Aryans:  the 7 

warlike  character  of. 12 

Ashmore,  Dr. :  visits  to  missions.. 

74,75 

Asia,  Central :  mixed  races  from..  7 

Atmakur :  visit  of  Mr.  Day  to 43 

Bapatia:  situation  of 187 

church  organized 18S 

securing  a  bungalow 189 

diflference  with  Lutherans  at..  190 

Board,  Woman's:  "Home"  of  at 

Newton  Centre 67 

contributions  of  for  school 69 

sending  missionary 74 

Boggs,  Rev.  W.  B. :    arriving  at 

Madras 116 

at  Ongole 117 

appointed  to  Cumbum 127 

at  Ramapatam 147 

chosen  president  of  seminary  148 
appointed  first  by  Canadian 

Board 171,  172 

at  Cumbura 173,  174 

a  railway  contractor. 174 

succumbing  to  fever 175 

Brahmans":  witnessing  a  baptism  58 
failing  as  religious  teachers...  110 
deceiving  the  people  195.  196 

Brahmanism:  following Vedism...  20 
and  other  creeds 200 

Bright,  Dr.  Edward 46 


PAGE 

Bucknell,  ISIr.  William :  gift  of  for 

school 73 

contributing  library  for  Ram- 
apatam   148 

Buddhism :  a  past  faith  in  India..  210 

Billiard,  Rev.  E ..66,  188-191 

Burditt,  Rev.  J.  F. :    transferred 

to  Nellore 73 

appointed  to  Udayagiri 199 

building  a  chapel 201 

Burmese:  progenitors  of. 19,20 

Campbell,  Rev.  W.  W....151,  155,  157, 
1.^8,  159, 163 

Cauakiah:  conversion  of 50 

married  to  Julia 51 

record  of 51 

Canal,  Buckingham  :  named  for 

duke  of 30 

convenience  of 31 

Carey,    Dr. :     translators     aided 
by 27 

Caste:  orders  in 15 

a  religious  institution 22 

names  of  classes 23 

obstacle    to    Christianity    in 

India 24,  156 

losing  its  hold 25 

Hinduism  dependent  on 25 

last  thing  surrendered 81,  82 

not  yielded  to 83 

members  of  caste  reached 162 

dissatisfaction  with  210 

Cliandaloor:  meetings  at 130 

Chute.  Rev.  Elbert 155,  156,  157,  162 

227 


228 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


PAGE 

Clough,  Rev.  John  E. :  arriving  at 

Nellore 61 

visit  to  Ongole 62 

removal  to  Ongole. ;. 64 

encouraging  Nellore  cbapel...     72 

associated  witli  Ongole 77,  78 

building  a  chapel 78 

visiting  TuUakondapaud...  79,  80 

holding  precious  meetings 80 

starting  a  vernacular  school..    84 
a  "  missionary  of  one  idea  "...    85 

touring 86-88 

return  to  United  States 88 

securing  men  and  means 90,  91 

a  canal  contractor 102,109 

secretary  of  relief  committee,  103 
keeping  converts   from   bap- 
tism  113, 114,  115 

attachment  of  natives  to 119 

raising  endowment  for    On- 
gole school 126 

welcomed  home 127 

raising  endowment  for  Rama- 

patam 144 

assuming  extra  work 197 

influence  recognized 207 

Cumbum:   large  accessions  at 129 

situation  of 171 

sharing  in  ingathering 172 

field  too  large 175 

Day,  Rev.  S.  S  :  founder  of  Telu- 

gu  Mission 26 

at  Vizagapatam 28 

at  Madras 29 

building  at  Nellore 34 

health  declining  and  restored 

38,39 

position  of  as  to  schools 42 

tour  to  Udayagiri 42,  43 

health  failing  again 48 

at  Hanamakonda 159 

sketch  of 214 

Day,  Mrs  S.  S. :  sketch  of 215 


PAGS 

Deccan,  the:  meaning  of  term 150 

limits  of  its  territory 150 

Digby,  W.,  Esq -  102,106 

Downie,   Rev.   D. :  designated  to 

Telugu  Mission 67 

rebuilding 69 

advancing  school  interests...69,  70 

reaching  the  Reddis 70 

building  a  new  chapel 72 

wife's  health  failing 75 

secretary  of  relief  committee  104 

address  by 204 

thanks  due  to 2i)fi 

Douglass,  Rev.  F.  A 50,  56,  58,  59 

Drake,  Rev.  D.  H.165,166,  171, 183,  184 
Drake,  Mrs.  D.  H. :  sketch  of..223,  224 

Dravidian :  races  so-called 8 

languages 16,  17 

England:    blessings    secured    to 

India,  by 13 

appeal  to  for  aid 103 

famine  relief  from 106,  107 

influenced  bv  India 210 

Famine,  in  year  1877 70 

incident  to  India 93 

approach  of. 94 

horrors  of 95,  96 

people  driven  to  towns  by 97 

inadequacy  of  relief  for 98 

grappling  with  distress  of 99 

subscriptions  to  relieve 100,  101 

public  works  to  meet 101 

aid  for  from  abroad 102 

means  ruin  to  farmers 104 

deaths  from 107 

famine  subscriptions 107 

related  to  great  ingathering...  109 

Friescn,  Rev.  A 158,  163 

Ghauts,  Eastern  :  highest  peak  of.      9 

Ghauts,  Western  :  influence  of 10 

Grose,  J.,  Esq. :  chairman  of  fam- 
ine committee 103 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


229 


PAGE 

Grose,  J.,  Esq.,  address  by 205-212 

Gundlacumma    River;    baptism 
at,  of  2222 Ill,  114 

Iladley,  Rev.  Charles 184 

Hanamakonda:  meaning  of  uame,  1P8 

sitiiatiou  of 159 

work  at 159,  160 

self-support  at 160,  161 

Heinrichs,  Rev.  J 74 

Hindu,  people :  races  combiued  iu    15 

generous  in  nature 96,  97 

gratitude  of,  for  aid 107 

lack  in  character  of 174 

need  of  Reformer  among, 174 

Hinduism  :  growing  out  of  Brah- 

manism 21 

hold  of  on  people 156 

men  dissatisfied  with 210 

Hyderabad 151 

Idol   worship:      at   first    not    of 

Hindu  system 22 

India:  invasions  of. 7,12 

British  rule  in 12 

peace  secured  in 13 

irrigation  works  in 14 

in  possession  of  Scythians 15 

subject  to  famines 92 

evangelization  of. 142 

influencing  England 210 

India,  South :  Dravidian  races  of..      8 

famine  in 93 

failure  of  monsoons  in 93 

Ingathering,  The    great :    causes 

of 109,110 

general   faithfulness    of    its 

converts 118, 119 

presented     in    favorable   as- 
pects     139 

difllculties  connected  with...  140 

Jewett,  Rev.  Lyman  :  arriving  at 

Nellore 39 


FAQE 

Jewett,  Rev.  Lyman :  progress  of 

in  learning  Telugu 40 

motion  in  reference  to 46 

at  Ongole 48,  49 

prediction  by 49 

deploring     apathy     of     the 

churches 54 

at  Madras  and  Nellore 56 

baptizing  first  convert  at  On- 
gole     57 

health  broken  down 67,58 

remaining  true  to  the  Telu- 

gus 60 

returning  to  Nellore 61 

baptizing  at  Ongole  and  Nel- 
lore  62,63 

appealing  for  men 64 

sending  home  Mrs.  Jewett 67 

leaving  for  home 67 

At  Madras 178,  182 

missed  at  jubilee 205 

"Julia":    One  of  the  first  con- 
verts  40,  41 

at  Ongole 49 

Jubilee 203-211 

KeUy,  Mr.  E.  A 124, 129 

Kurnool:  location  of 165 

church  organized  at 165 

decrease  at 167 

reasons  of  decrease  at 168, 169 

Loughridge,  Rev.  A 159, 160 

Lydia :    called  "Anna  the  Proph- 
etess"     50 

conversion  of 51,  52 

appearance    and    usefulness 
of. 53,54 

Mabie,    H.    C,   D.  D.:     visiting 

mission  stations 76 

Madigas :  Christi  an  s  from 130, 131 

Malcom,  Rev.  Howard:    visiting 
Asiatic  missions 26 


230 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


PAGE 

Madras  Presidency :  irrigated  land 

in 51 

products  of 15 

population  in 18 

government    of,      importing 

rice 94 

Mahabharata :  character  of. 21 

fifth  veda 21 

Madras:  Telugus  in 19, 177 

a  Tamil  city 19 

formation  of  English  Baptist 

church  in 29 

removal  of  Mr.  Douglass  to....    56 

famine  relief  committee  in 103 

importance  of 176, 177 

a  missionary  station  at 178 

mission  church  organized  at..  178 

dedication  of  chapel  at 183 

work  slow  at 185 

Manley,  Rev.  W.  R 123,  124, 183, 

202,  298 

Mansion  House:  fund  of. 102,  103 

Manu:  laws  of 21 

not  now  wholly  observed 23 

quotation  from 23,  24 

Maplesden,  Rev.  R 127, 158,  192,  193 

McLaurin,  Rev.  John :  association 

of  with  Mr.  Clough 87,  88 

filling  Mr.  Clough's  place 88,  89 

difficult  position  of 89 

organizing  a  new  mission 90 

Missionaries :  treatment  of  changed 

for  the  better 35 

imploring  for  additional  help.    54 
needing  first  year  for  study...    67 
unyielding   to    caste    preju- 
dices  81,  82 

Mohammedan:  invasions 12 

Morgan,  Rev.  F.  E 166-171 

Monsoons:  number  of 9 

influence  of  on  climate 9 

effect  on  rains 10 

famine  due  to  failure  of 93 

failing  in  South  India 93,91 


PAGE 

Nalgouda 163 

Nellore:  lowest  temperature  at....      9 

great  tank  of 14 

question  of  abandoning  mis- 
sion at 28 

Mr.  Day  removing  to 29 

railway  connection  of. 31 

chief  city  of  district 32,  33 

derivation  of  name 33 

superstition  at 34 

progress  in  its  schools 37 

church  organized  at 37 

disaster  in  church  at 38 

visit    of    Messrs.   Peck    and 

Granger  to 44 

report  from 45 

church  at  reorganized 47 

earnest  spirit  at 61 

weakening    by    withdrawals 

from 64 

arrival  of  Mr.  Downie  at 67 

flood  at 68 

school  house  and  dormitories    69 

a  new  chapel  at 72,73 

girls'  seminary  at 73 

relief  measures  at 104, 105, 106 

jubilee  at 204 

Nellore  District :  average  temper- 
ature of. 9 

rainfall  in 10 

dimensions  of 32,  33 

Newcomb,  Rev.  John 175,  176 

Newhall,  Rev.  A.  A 

138, 139, 141, 160-162 
Newhall,  Mrs.  A.  A:  sketch  of.....  218 

Newton  Centre:  Home  at 67 

Nichols,  Rev.  and    Mrs.  S.   \V.: 

sketch  of 219 

Nizam:  dominions  of. 8,  9, 151 

British  Resident  with 12 

territory  of 151 

Nursaraopetta 191,  193 

Nursu,  Christian:  at  Ongole 48,  49 

peaceful  death  of 55 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


23J 


PAGE 

Ongole:  prayer  meeting  at 48 

first  convert  at 57 

Mr.  Clough  visits 62 

baptisms  at 63 

situation  of.~ 77 

chapel  built  at 78,  79 

opposition  to  converts  at 81 

increase  of  church  at 84 

baptistery  at 86 

dissatisfaction  at 89 

large  additions  to  church  in..  HI 

relief  operations  closed  in 113 

cyclone  at 117 

ordination  of  native  preach- 
ers at l:i0,121,  122,  123 

high  school  at 124-126 

school     at,    seeking    college 

grade 126 

contrast  in 207 

size  of  church  at 127 

field  at  divided 127 

new  missionaries  at 131, 132 

subject  to  dangers 132, 133 

an  addition  to  the  force  at 134 

re-subdivision  of  needed, 133 

Pariahs:  position  <  .•" 23,  24 

Palmur:  situation  of 162 

peculiarity  of  work  at 162 

securing  ground  at 162 

opposition  at 163 

Persians:  invasions  by 13 

Periah:  conversion  of. 62 

usefulness  of 63 

Price,  Rev.  W.  1 123 

Ptolemy:  phrase  from 8 

Puranas:  gods  enumerated  by 21 

Ramapatam :  station  to  be  at 61 

missionaries  at 66 

visits  of   Drs.  Ashmore  and 

Mabie 75,  76, 129 

situation  of 13o 

acquirement  of  property  at...  136 


PAQB 

Ramapatam :      organization      of 

churches  at 137 

field  at  divided 138 

theological  seminary  at.. ..142,  145, 
146 

medical  mission  at 149 

Rama:  war  with  Ravanah 196 

Ramiah:  conversion  of 70 

struggle  for 71 

success  of 71,  72 

Rayl,  Rev.  D.  K 128 

sketch  of 220 

Rayl,  Mrs.  D.  K.  :  sketch  of 221 

Reddis:  importance  of 70 

Rig- Veda:  quotation  from 12 

Sanskrit:    differing  from  Dravi- 

diaa 17 

books  of  Tulugus  in 18 

Scythians  :  relation  of  to  India...    15 

Schools :  boarding  and  day... 55,  56 

paying  for  attendance  at  ..  55,  56 

in  hopeful  condition 59 

government  grant-in-aid  for..    67 

demand  for 69 

Anglo-vernacular 85 

great  demand  for 124 

at  Madras 185 

at  Bapatla 189 

importance  of 208 

Secunderabad  :  situation  of 9 

fall  of  thermometer  at 9 

successful  work  at 152,  153 

holding  property  at  154 

Mr.  Loughridge  at 159 

Silliman,  Rev.  E.  E. : 170, 171,  181 

Smith,  S.  F.,  D.  D. :    author  of 

poem  "  Lone  Star  " 46,  47 

honored  by  Lydia 54 

visit  to  Nellore 73 

at  Ramapatam 147 

Society :  London  Missionary ;  first 

in  Telugu  field 27 

mission  begun  in  1805 27 


232 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


PAGE 

Society:  B'riend-in-need, 99, 100 

"Star,  Loue":  the  poem 46 

jubilee  of 203 

influence  of. 206 

Telugu  country:  government  of..    11 

boundaries  of 8 

latitude  of 9 

agriculture  in 14 

first  convert  of  baptized 36 

dark  hour  at  the  mission  ot...     39 

Telugus:  called  Andhras 8 

origin  of 15 

amalgamation  of 16 

physical  stature  of 16 

language  of 16 

members  of. 18 

not  migratory 18,  19 

in  Nizam's  dominions 18 

in  British  Burma 19 

religion  of 20 

tenacious  of  caste 22 

first  mission  among 27 

first  Protestant  chapel  among.    28 
results     among     calling    for 
gratitude 226 

Telugu:   derivation  of. 8 

Mission,  question  of  discon- 
tinuance   45,  60 

Testament,  New:    version  of  in 

Telugu 27 

Testament,  Old:   translated  into 

Telugu 27 

portions  of  printed 28 

Thomssen,  Rev.  G.  N..127, 171,  194-197 

Timpany,  Rev.  A.  V. :  joining  the 

mission 66 

removal  to  Raniapatam 66, 

136,  137 
returning  to  America lo8 


FACE 

Timpany,  Rev.  A.  V.:  president 

of  Ramapatam  seminary 143 

sketch  of. 222 

Ddayagiri:  Mr.  Day's  visit  to. ..42,  43 

meaning  of  term 198 

heathen  soil  at 199 

chapel  build  at 201 

Union,  Missionary :  meeting  of  at 

Albany 45 

at  Providence 60 

proposed  work  for 194, 195 

Van  Husen,  Rev.  S. :    appointed 

to  the  Telugus 33 

visiting  Ongole 36 

leaving  Nellore 37 

sketch  of 216 

Van  Husen,  Mrs. :  sketch  of. 216 

Vedism  :  earliest  form  of  religion 

in  India 20 

Venkappah  :  first  Telugu  convert.    36 
Vizagapatam:    condition    at    in 

1835 28 

Waterbury,  Rev.  N.  M. :  sent  to 

Madras 179 

putting  his  life  in  his  work...  180 

securing  a  chapel 181 

death  of 182 

Williams,  Monier:  quotation  from    21 
Williams,  Rev.  R.  R.:  designated 

to  Ramapatam 143,  144 

labors  and  success  of. 145 

securing  money  for  seminary 

building 147,  148 

leaving  for  home 148 

Williams,  Mrs.  R.  R. :  sketch  of  ....216 
Winds,  "hot":  character  of. 11 


-^^ 


BW7501  .T2D7 
The  lone  star. 

Princeton  Theological  Seminary-Speer  Library 


1    1012  00018  7619 


